Kate Prince’s Message In A Bottle hits Boston

The story of a family torn apart by war and forced to make their ways in unfamiliar lands is told through Kate Prince’s striking, bold choreography in Message In A Bottle, a dance/theater production inspired and driven by the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning rock icon Sting. The production, now on a tour of the U.S. and Canada, comes to Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre March 26-30.

In its 2020 world premiere at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theater in London’s West End, Message In A Bottle became a critical hit for its distinctive mix of gravity-defying, lyrical hip hop dance and its use of evocative rock songs that together underscore a moving story of humanity and hope.

Message In A Bottle opens in a village alive with joyous celebrations that suddenly comes under siege. In the ensuing chaos, three siblings – Leto, Mati and Tana – are separated from their parents. Each sibling undertakes a perilous journey to new lands – fighting off captors and predators, surviving imprisonment, falling in love and finding their way back to more peaceful lives. Nearly two dozen songs – written by Sting and made famous through his solo career and his band The Police – appear in the show.

Chart-topping hits and fan favorite tracks propel the narrative, often in surprising ways. “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Walking On The Moon,” “Englishman In New York,” and “Fields Of Gold” are among the songs with new vocals by Sting and new arrangements by Grammy and Tony Award winnerAlex Lacamoire (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman). Guest vocals include actress and singer Beverley Knight MBE and Lynval Golding (of The Specials).

Kate Prince’s choreography incorporates a wide range of influences for the production’s 22 dancers, from breakdance, hip hop and contemporary street dance, to jazz dance and gestural movement – with a hint of balletic partnering. Prince says the thrill of watching audiences react to the music they know and the unfolding story told through her muscular, athletic and non-stop choreography brings her great joy.

“I love watching audiences watch Message In A Bottle,” she says. “They have this double reaction of loving the music and loving Sting’s work, and realizing how much of the music they do know and how much it’s been in their lives. Then, watching the audience watching those dancers, you get the sense of ‘how are they doing that?’ and ‘how are they still going?’”

Performers in the touring company include dancers Oliver Andrews, Lindon Barr (Dance Captain), Deavion Brown, David Cottle, Harrison Dowzell, Nestor Garcia Gonzalez, Natasha Gooden, Lizzie Gough (Resident Director), Anna Holmstrom, Megan Ingram, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Charlotte Lee, Daniella May, Dylan Mayoral, Lukas McFarlane (Associate Choreographer), Robbie Ordona, Lara Renaud, Hannah Sandilands (Dance Captain), Jessey Stol, Steven Thompson, Gavin Vincent, Malachi Welch, Serena McCall, and Nethra Menon. Biographical information on the dancers is available here.

Message In A Bottle plays Boston’s historic Emerson Colonial Theatre for seven performances only, from March 26-30, 2024. Tickets are available online at emersoncolonialtheatre.com or by calling 888.616.0272. Online and phone ticket purchases are subject to standard service fees. For group orders of 10 or more please email infocolonial@theambassadors.com.

The Cast of Message In A Bottle, Photo credit Lynn Theisen