Director Michael Mayer on the Epic Voyage of Swept Away, the Surprise of Little Shop and the Saga of Funny Girl

It’s a bit startling to hear Michael Mayer admit that he feared the pandemic would put an end to his career as a Tony Award-winning director. “I thought we were done,” he says of Broadway, “and then I thought, I’ve had such an extraordinary time working with such brilliant people, if this is it, I’m OK.” Spoiler alert: In the three years since live theater returned, Mayer has directed the much-discussed revival of Funny Girl and the Neil Diamond jukebox musical A Beautiful Noise while attracting celebs of every stripe to star in his hit off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

His latest Broadway musical, Swept Away, expertly marries a lyrical script by Tony winner John Logan (Red) and folk-rock songs by the Avett Brothers to tell the story of a shipwreck off the coast of Massachusetts (based on the real-life wrecked yacht Mignonette, which sank in 1884). You don’t need to be interested in the history of whaling to be moved by Swept Away. An all-male cast led by Tony winner John Gallagher Jr. and Stark Sands (co-stars in Mayer’s American Idiot) pulls you into a riveting tale of brotherhood, loyalty and redemption.

The breadth of Mayer’s quarter-century Broadway career is evident in his Tony nominations for directing You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; A View from the Bridge; Thoroughly Modern Millie; and Hedwig and the Angry Inch; plus a Best Director Tony win for Spring Awakening. He discussed his busy schedule—including two new productions this season at the Metropolitan Opera—in a recent conversation with Broadway.com.

Swept Away is a wonderful example of how to craft an original musical with existing songs. How did this marriage of the Avett Brothers’ music and John Logan’s book come together?

The songs are already character-based, and the connection between the [Avett] brothers is palpable and profound, so when John Logan started to imagine the story, a lot of it came from the DNA of the songs themselves. The other thing I love is how John has created a truly epic tale in only 90 minutes. It feels like this gigantic event, told with the economy of a Biblical parable but with characters who are full-blooded humans. You feel like you’ve taken this extraordinary journey that goes from an exciting sea adventure to an existential drama to salvation and redemption in the end. I don’t know how he managed to do so much in such a short amount of stage time.

Why did you want to direct the show?

What made me say yes was the Avett Brothers’ music, the chance to work with John and the fact that we could make this for John Gallagher Jr. [as the ship’s first mate]. I don’t want to say that John is my muse because that is so pretentious, but I love making work with him. We also got Stark Sands back [as Big Brother], which is the icing on the cake. All four actors [including Wayne Duvall as the Captain and Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother] bring their characters to life in such a rich way.

What did you respond to personally in the script and songs?

The themes of brotherhood—of how far you would go to save a loved one; how much personal responsibility a soul can bear; how you can come out at the other end of a tough situation with your soul intact. My own brother and I are very different, but the fact that I was making this show during a time when our relationship became closer than it had been since we were children is something I feel profound gratitude for. This is certainly the most spiritual show I’ve done, and I feel like that’s something we need right now.

Is it fair to say that you started the whole trend of singer-songwriters on Broadway with Spring Awakening?

Hmm, it’s possible? [laughs] I do feel like Spring Awakening started a new way of thinking about using contemporary music in a narrative on stage. If it wasn’t the first time, it definitely inspired other wonderful theatermakers to explore that territory. You know, theater music was once the popular music of the day. That shifted after the ’60s when rock took over the airwaves. The idea that popular music and theater music can still speak to each other is fantastic, and I’m proud of whatever part I played in making that a viable option.

You remind me of Jack O’Brien in the incredible versatility of the plays and musicals you’ve directed on Broadway. Where does that come from?

I’m flattered by that comparison. I guess I’m a very eclectic person in terms of the kind of theater and music I like, the places in the world I like to visit and the artists I like to work with. I didn’t design my career to be as varied as it is; it just kind of happened that way organically. I will say that going from directing a new Jeanine Tesori opera [Grounded] at the Met to Swept Away and then back to the Met with Aida—three works in the span of four months—is bonkers. I’ve never been busier.

It must feel good to not be pigeonholed into a single art form.

I’ve decided to enjoy that and to embrace it. Always keep them guessing so they’re not seeing the same thing over and over. I want to serve up each piece in the best way I can and hope that it has its own life. It doesn’t have to be “a Michael Mayer joint,” you know? I don’t need to put that kind of stamp on it.

Were you able to see the acclaimed Deaf West revival of American Idiot?

Yes, and it blew me away. I’ve never seen another production of it, and I was really touched by how invested the performers were in telling that story and how engaged the audience was. It’s the only show that I [co-wrote], so I was a very proud papa. It’s hard to believe my “kid” is almost 15 years old now.

In reviving Funny Girl on Broadway, you brought back a show nobody had the nerve to tackle for 60 years—one that people had emotional expectations about. What did you learn from that experience?

I could actually write a book about that whole saga—and I’m tempted to, because it was such an extraordinary series of wild chapters. I learned a lot of things. [Long pause while Mayer decides how to respond] Here’s what you can say: I learned that there was a reason why it took so many years to get that show back to Broadway. It has so much baggage, and it was only through the entire process of doing it first at a small theater in London, then in the West End, then a British tour, then the first cast in New York, then the second cast in the New York, and now a very successful national tour—it needed all of those iterations to finally capture what Funny Girl wanted to be.

On a less controversial note, did you expect that your off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors would still be going strong after five years?

Never! That has been such a source of delight. Every time I walk by 43rd Street or rehearse a new Audrey or Seymour or Mushnik, I shake my head and say, “What is happening?” And it’s still so good. Everyone is there because they love the show, and that affection is contagious. The audience can feel it; it’s such a good vibe.

How have you attracted Sarah Hyland, Evan Rachel Wood, Constance Wu, and Jinkx Monsoon, among dozens of other top actors?

Because they have a great time. If Little Shop isn’t the best musical of the ’80s, which I believe it is, it’s up there, and its themes are huge. It’s about hubris and pride and what happens when you give up your ideals for fame and fortune. It’s an absolutely timeless story, incredibly funny and wildly tuneful. I love [composer] Alan Menken; it’s been beautiful to have him around, and my dream was to honor Howard Ashman, not just as a book writer and lyricist but also as a wonderful director. My production is an homage to Howard, who, sadly, I never got to meet.

You even got Sherie Rene Scott to come back to the stage!

We’ve worked together for years [notably on her 2009 autobiographical show Everyday Rapture]. Believe it or not, she had never seen Little Shop of Horrors. People through the years had told her she should play Audrey, so she came to the show, and we went out afterward to talk. She said, “I do think I could serve this story.” Sherie needs to know that she has something to offer in a particular way, and thank god she recognized it, because she’s stunning.

If you had to choose one genre to work in, would it be musicals?

I think so, because I love them so passionately. My gateway drug to being in the theater was watching MGM musicals on TV when I was a little kid. Seeing something like Babes in Arms with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, the “let’s put on a show” thing? That’s what I thought theater was. The beautiful thing about a musical is you’ve got so many creatives working alongside you—it’s a collaborative art. Theater is such an unusual industry because it’s driven by artists; it’s about creativity and encouraging audiences to put themselves into other people’s lives. It’s truly the most empathetic art form.