Get the latest gossip
How ‘Swept Away’ Writer John Logan Turned a Horrific Maritime Disaster Into an Unlikely Broadway Musical
John Logan on turning a grisly story of cannibalism and survival into a Broadway musical with help from The Avett Brothers.
John Logan, the show’s Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning writer, started teasing out the idea for the musical during a hike through Malibu Canyon, listening to The Avett Brothers ‘ folk and bluegrass hits. That gave Matthew Masten, a producer whose credits include “Side Show” and “Of Mice and Men,” the idea to reach out to Logan with a pitch to turn those songs into a musical. His father was a naval architect from Belfast, and Logan “grew up around shipyards and ships.” He was also a voracious reader, drawn to stories of the sea and the work of authors like Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad, who took pains to document nautical life.
Or read this on Variety
