Message in a Bottle — a new dance-theater piece from Kate Prince that uses the music of Sting — will embark on a North American tour in 2024.
Directed and choreographed by Prince, Message In A Bottle is an imagined story about one displaced family in a village thats suddenly under siege, with three parted siblings stepping out on individual adventures. Songs include “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and “Fields of Gold,” presented in new arrangements by Alex Lacamoire and performed by Sting, Beverley Knight, and other guest artists.
Produced by Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK, the show features the dancers of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company. Currently on an international tour, Message in a Bottle comes stateside beginning February 6-11, where it will premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Other stops include the Buell at the Denver Center (February 13-25), the Emerson Colonial in Boston (March 26-30), the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC (April 9-21), and New York City Center (April 30-May 12), among other stops.
In addition to music supervisor/arranger Lacamoire, the creative team includes Martin Terefe (music producer/arranger), Ben Stones (sets), Andrzej Goulding (video), Anna Fleischle (costumes), Natasha Chivers (lighting), David McEwan (sound), Oskar Winberg (music coproducer and mixer), Lolita Chakrabarti (dramaturg), Lukas McFarlane (associate choreographer), DJ Walde (music associate/additional arrangements), Robia Milliner Brown (resident director/choreographer), and Tommy Franzen and Lizzie Gough (assistant choreographers).
This isn't new information, I believe. Many cities have received this show in their season subscriptions, or were announced a few months back. I have been really confused the past day trying to remember if I heard about this or not before.
"Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok. Have you guys heard about fidget spinners!?" ~Patti LuPone
I loved Alex Lacamoire’s arrangements. The dancers are very talented. I could not take my eyes off Serena McCall who played the bride/Roxanne. Such lines! I really liked this way more than I expected. A bit too much breakdancing but if you like shows like SYTYCD, this is for you.
Caught the matinee today and I agree this was definitely worth seeing, and it did a lot better job in telling the story than I was expecting so there's that. Some of the placement of songs felt weird (Don't Stand So Close to Me was a bit of a strange fit, and the usage of Every Breath You Take was also a bit jarring considering how it's usually used in pop culture). I agree that the breakdancing was maybe a bit overused and there could've maybe been more room to let the quieter moments breathe, but I thought it was a fairly touching story. I think my favorites were the three solo storylines in act 2, but there was also a lot of cool stage imagery worked into the show with shadows and projections in the group numbers as well.
Definitely agree regarding the cool stage imagery. Loved how they were at sea and the use of all those sticks. I also really liked how the dancers maneuvered around and through those metal cubes. Well done and interesting to look at.