In watching Message in a Bottle, a new show featuring hip-hop-styled dance choreography set to the music of Sting and his former band the Police, one can’t help but feel how timely its themes are in the context of today’s news. The nearly two-hour performance conjures images ripped from the news headlines: the horrors of war, the displacement of families, and the plight of migrants and how authorities treat them once they do arrive in their new land.

That’s not exactly the happiest of subjects compared to previous and current theatrical presentations featuring the big hits by contemporary pop and rock artists (a.k.a., the “jukebox musicals” like Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia! and the most recent offering on Broadway, The Heart of Rock and Roll). And yet Message in a Bottle–which was directed and choreographed by Kate Prince of ZooNation, and recently made its debut at New York City Center as part of a North American tour after being staged in London in 2020 -  is a departure from some of those productions in that there is no dialogue or narration - it just merely lets the phenomenal dancers and Sting’s songs tell the story. The result is a powerful and entertaining experience that has garnered positive reviews in the press.

Read the full review here.