Message in a Bottle runs April 30 through May 12, 2024.
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"This is such a powerful, serious piece about love and family. They've used my songs in a way that I find so heartening," Sting recently explained to BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. "The meaning of the songs is absolutely intrinsic to the meta-narrative that they are telling, which is a miracle of Kate's choreography and Alex's wonderful arrangements."
The piece is Kate Prince's Message in a Bottle and it's coming to New York City Center. Initially inspired by Sting’s “Desert Rose” and including “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Fields of Gold,” and 23 more of the artist’s most beloved songs, the new dance-theater show opened to rave reviews on London’s West End and now makes its New York City debut.
"Kate came up with a fantastic setlist and songs that really helped to further the story. She was very good at expressing what she was looking for," added musical arranger Alex Lacamoire. "It was a wonderful challenge for me- like a puzzle for me to wrap my head around. I reveled in it."
In a fictional village in a country far away, the community live well and support each other. But when civil war breaks out, this idyll of existence is devastated as the community is broken and homes destroyed. We follow the fortunes of a father, mother and their three teenage children — Leto, Mati, and Tana — who face this brutal reality together. They are confronted with impossible choices in order to survive. They must leave their homeland and undertake a perilous journey to safer shores. Along the way, they will be separated from each other and must persevere alone.
"I've always liked to try to tell stories through dance," said Prince. "I don't like empty steps, I want to try to move people without words... but then I knew I wanted to use Sting's poetry in his lyrics and music. It was trying to find a world where those two would meet and I could do justice to both the story, the dance artists, and Sting's music."
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