Sending out an SOS: ZooNation brings Message in a Bottle to Philly

Message in a Bottle, a tale of a family displaced from their home by civil war—set to the music by The Police and Sting— premiered in Philadelphia at the Miller Theater on Tuesday night (May 14, 2024). The story is told entirely through dance, with no dialogue spoken by the performers, and only the lyrics of the pop songs laid over the the action. The mother and father and three teenage children flee their country, make a perilous ocean voyage, and are separated from each other by tragic events. Evocative video projections by Andrzej Goulding provide visual context to the narrative. The show received its world premiere in London in 2020 and is produced by Universal Music UK and Sadler’s Wells. Philadelphia is the final stop on its extensive North American tour.

Choreographed by Kate Prince, Message in a Bottle features 23 engaging dancers from her dance company, ZooNation. Prince has worked extensively in popular contexts, including the West End (London’s equivalent of Broadway), various Olympic ceremonies, and television programs such as Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance. Many of the dancers have similar backgrounds, having appeared on television shows, music videos, and music concert tours. The production features hip-hop, break dancing, and other contemporary styles that play to the strengths of the dancers’ diverse talents. Unfortunately, although all of their names are listed alphabetically in the program, the specific performers in leading roles are not identified.

Over two dozen well-known pop songs from The Police and Sting’s subsequent solo career were rearranged by Alex Lacamoire and re-recorded for the production. Sting sings many of the lyrics, although he is augmented by several female vocalists who take over the lead in key moments. Lacamoire’s excellent new arrangements weave the scenes together and support the dramatic narrative. The song lyrics feature prominently in the production—with varied success.

It’s confusing, for instance, to transfer the well-known lyrics to a new context—such as a harrowing scene of menacing smugglers committing acts of sexual violence against vulnerable refugees set to the saucy Don’t Stand So Close to Me. Some of the scenes are flagrantly literal: Every Breath You Take, where Sting sings “I’ll be watching you” as the siblings are surrounded by guards at the refugee camp, or The Bed’s Too Big Without You where one of the sons rolls around in an empty bed. Most awkward is the over-the-top Roxanne, a jarring, MTV-like episode where the son reunites with his brutalized, long-lost wife only to discover that she has been forced into sex work.

Other times, the lyrics work beautifully with the choreography: Shape of My Heart illuminates a sweet love story; How Fragile We Are buoys a lovely interlude for several lilting couples; and Inshallah accompanies the refugees on a boat voyage under a starry sky, an eerily beautiful scene even as a dangerous storm brews. The title song, Message in a Bottle, underscores a powerful, hip-hop-infused plea for human connection.

Throughout, the performers sell this story with committed emotion and acrobatic, freewheeling dancing. Despite some of the contrived sections, the plight of this displaced family comes through clearly. We feel their terror, their sadness, and their determination as they are thrown into circumstances beyond their control. We grieve with them as are separated from each other and we ache with them as they long to be reunited. We share in their hope for a world where “one day we’ll laugh in our joy, and we’ll dance…” Finally, we’re reinvigorated by a vision of multiple dancers gloriously spinning on their heads as Message in a Bottle comes to a mighty close.