Peter DiMaggio & ensemble. Photo: Nile Scott Studios
Presented by Speakeasy Stage
Music and lyrics by The Avett Brothers
Book by John Logan
Directed by Jeremy Johnson
Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins
Music directed by Paul S. Katz
Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland
Lighting by Karen Perlow
Featuring: Christopher Chew, Max Connor, Peter DiMaggio, Bishop Levesque
April 24 – May 23, 2026
Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts
527 Tremont Street, Boston, 02116
Review by Maegan Clearwood
BOSTON — Swept Away is ambitious in theme and scope: it calls for sweeping, spectacular design choices, attempting to explore existential ideas about guilt, grief, death, and despair. Speakeasy Stage, like the Broadway premiere two years ago, takes a fittingly larger-than-life approach to the visuals and performances. Unfortunately (again, like the Broadway premiere), Speakeasy can’t overcome the musical’s dramaturgical flaws.
Swept Away is a jukebox musical, featuring indie-folk-Americana-pop-rock songs by The Avett Brothers. It features many hallmark jukebox musical flaws: musical numbers that feel shoehorned in rather than plot-driven; a thematically uneven throughline; inconsistent character arcs. John Logan’s book crams songs into a story inspired by a real 1884 shipwreck of The Mignonette. It’s a grisly tale, an exploration of the spirit’s ability (or lack thereof) to survive in the face of abject horror, but the script is too bogged down by cliches to uncover any novel truths about the human condition.
The musical’s issues have been copiously addressed by critics of previous productions, so I won’t belabor them further. I would direct curious readers toward Loren Novek’s in-depth review, which touches on the text’s lackluster characterization and failed attempt at parable.
Speakeasy’s production, directed by Jeremy Johnson, is visually impressive. Janie E. Howland’s set makes the stage look larger-than-life: the ensemble raises and lowers ropes, sails, ladders, and masts to bring the ship’s construction (and eventual destruction) to life, complemented by striking blues and greens (lighting by Karen Perlow). The set is beautifully composed, comprised of crisp, clean lines – perhaps too clean for a play about hardened sailors and gruesome deaths.
The production as a whole lacks momentum. The set is stunning, but never feels alive; Ilyse Robbins’ choreography is buoyant but poorly integrated into the piece’s overall movement; and ensemble members are more often used as set dressing than active participants in the story.
The four principles do their best with the awkward script and slow-paced score. Christopher Chew and Bishop Levesque as the Captain and Big Brother respectively are standout vocalists, bringing an almost operatic grandiosity to their unfortunately few solos. Max Connor brings boyish exuberance to the role of Little Brother, although he struggles when the play takes its dramatic sharp turn in its second half.
Peter DiMaggio plays Mate, the story’s surviving, guilt-wracked narrator. Mate is a frustrating character: he is given no development until well into the second half, when the audience is bombarded with a violent backstory that renders the character arguably irredeemable. DiMaggio adds shades of vulnerability to Mate, particularly through his friendship with Little Brother, but his descent into emotional despair is muddy: he appears on the verge of madness as early as the ship’s departure, dampening the impact of his ultimate tragedy.
The ship’s crew is awkwardly underutilized by the text, but Speakeasy’s ensemble brings charm to the musical’s first half. There’s an inspired choice to integrate aerial performance into a few numbers (performed by Ezra Quinlan), bringing some much-needed dynamism to the piece.
If audience members are able to look past its dramaturgical clunkiness, there’s still plenty to applaud with Speakeasy’s spin on Swept Away.
