Berkeley Repertory Theatre will produce the world premiere of Swept Away, an original musical featuring the music of the Grammy-winning folk rock band The Avett Brothers, in June 2020. The production will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot, Smash).

Tony Award winner John Logan, the playwright, librettist, and screenwriter of Moulin Rouge!, Skyfall, Red, and The Last Ship, has written the book for the 1888-set musical that takes place off the coast of of New Bedford, Massachusetts. “When a violent storm sinks their whaling ship, the four surviving souls—a young man in search of adventure, his older brother who has sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly first mate who has fallen from grace—each face a reckoning: How far will I go to stay alive? And can I live with the consequences?”

Swept Away is inspired by the Avett Brothers’ 2004 album Mignonette, and will incorporate other songs from their catalog.

The musical is produced by Berkeley Rep by special arrangement with Matthew Masten and Sean Hudock. Mayer premiered American Idiot, inspired by the Green Day album of the same title, at Berkeley Rep prior to its 2010 Broadway debut.

Swept Away will feature music arrangements and orchestrations by Chris Miller and Brian Usifer.

Visit BerkeleyRep.org.