A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Longacre

When stormy waters bring you home

The recent waves buffeting the Broadway run of Swept Away: A New Musical are a fascinating look into what I think is still one of the most important and overlooked factors of brand and organizational growth (and, therefore, revenue): community.

(Link to official “Swept Away” art)

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Longacre

Here’s a quick timeline:

• January 2022: the show has its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. It’s so successful, it’s extended not once, not twice, but thrice.

An amazing feat, if you remember that we were still very much in the middle of the pandemic.

• November 2023: the show has its East Coast premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

Again, it is so successful that an extension is announced on Opening Night, and it ends up grossing $2M+ (I know, I was Arena’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at the time).

• June 2024: the Broadway run is announced
• November 2024: Opening Night is packed, and people can’t stop hooting and hollering (as you can see from the pic, being there was a huge thrill for me, having worked on the Arena production).

The reviews start streaming out incredibly quickly. They’re a mixed bag, but it still gets a New York Times “Critic’s Pick” (which I, personally, 100% agreed with; I loved the show).

With all this, you’d think it’s set to sail on for a while, right?

Wrong.

• Dec. 5, 2024: The show’s closing is set for Dec. 15, due to “unsustainable box office sales” (John Gallagher Jr.’s announcement is so emotional, as you can see from this TikTok from @kimberlyortiz9513).

That’s less than a month since it opened. So disappointing and, yes, heartbreaking for anyone who’s worked on the show, even in the run-up to Broadway.

But wait, there’s more.

• Dec. 10, 2024: Stark Sands announces an extension to December 29, thanks to fans rallying and spreading the word. This video is as touching as John’s closing announcement, but way more uplifting.

Now, a show announcing an early closing is not all that unusual. Wikipedia has a list, so Tammy Faye is in good company.

But announcing an extension because of a surge in ticket sales after announcing a closing because of disappointing ticket sales? Not usual at all.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Swept Away community made this happen.

This doesn’t surprise me, because when we had the show at Arena, the conversations and bonding in a private Facebook group  were absolutely fascinating.

#AvettSailors for life

You could see them:

• share stories and photos
• plan meetups from around the country (and the world)
• become friends with virtual strangers, convert those online interactions into in-person hugs, and stay close long after
• give their personal tips on where you might want to watch the show from, for your second (or third, or…) viewing, to get a different perspective
• create their own merch, with which they were incredibly generous (thank you, Carol Mucha, for permission to use this screengrab)
• avidly share and reshare any/all media coverage and content, which gave legs of a whole different kind to the publicity that was already being generated, and massively boosted ticket sales.

You know what was really remarkable about this group? They didn’t let off once the Arena run closed.

They kept the conversation going, musing about if/when it might make it to Broadway, how excited they’d be once it got there… and when it did, boy, did they show up!

This is the power of community.

This is the power of true connection, when what you’re offering rings so true with the folk you’re trying to reach, they don’t just become a customer (or patron, or ticket buyer, or ___), they become advocates and ambassadors.

And they tell your story for you in a way you. Just. Can’t.

That’s what we saw happen, all those years ago, when we worked on the Blue Key campaign for USA for UNHCR. That’s what I’ve seen happen many times since, when leaders commit to community-building across a range of stakeholder groups. It’s a cornerstone of what I dubbed Social PR many years ago and, if it isn’t already, it’s one of the key areas you need to pay attention to for 2025.

I’m still thinking a lot about what, if anything, could have changed the trajectory of the Broadway run, so possibly more thoughts on that soon.

For now, your two takeaways are:

• If you can make it to the Longacre before Dec. 29, go see Swept Away. You won’t regret it (I have no vested interest in recommending the show to you other than I think it’s remarkable); and
• Start thinking about who your community is, what drives them, and how you can make them feel like the most important people in the world.

If you haven’t yet started on your 2025 strategic plan, this is a great place to begin.

If you have, make sure you’re giving your community the time and attention they deserve. They could very well be the difference between make or break, and you’ll be nothing short of thankful.