Actions speak louder than words in Kate Prince's new dance show, Message in a Bottle. Led by Prince's company ZooNation, the dance-theatre powerhouse fuses rock artist Sting's classic songs into a story about finding hope in the most tumultuous of times. Message in the Bottle is currently touring the country, including a stop in New York at New York City Center. See Sting, Prince, and music arranger Alex Lacamoire discuss the show in the video above.
Prince has been a long-time Sting fan since his time with English rock band The Police. Inspiration struck after listening to their song "Walking on the Moon" while on her honeymoon. This moment sparked a ripple effect of listening to Sting's greatest hits and igniting a desire in Prince to choreograph to these songs. Message in a Bottle features some of Sting's most well-known songs, including "Roxanne," "Desert Rose," "Every Breath You Take."
"In the first workshop, I chose six songs. And from those six songs, I could tell it was about family, and then, lyrically, where the songs were taking us," says Prince. "It’s really about strength and survival, and what human beings can endure and come out the other side and survive.”
In Message in a Bottle, a family of five’s world turns upside down when a civil war breaks out in their village. They flee their homeland to seek refuge elsewhere. Sting was shocked at how emotionally moved he was after having only seen the choreography alone in the show's early stages.
"I think they’d only been working a couple of weeks and I sat there. It was just the dancers on the floor with the music, no lights, no scenery, and I was crying. And I don’t cry very often and I really had tears in my eyes," says Sting. "I think that if you can make a stone cry, then it’s obviously got something.”
The production features music supervision and new arrangements by Alex Lacamoire, music production and arrangements by Martin Terefe, set design by Ben Stones, video design by Andrzej Goulding, and costume design by Anna Fleischle. Lighting design is by Natasha Chivers, and sound design is by David McEwan. Oskar Winberg serves at Music Co-Producer and Mixer. Dramaturgy is by Lolita Chakrabarti. Lukas McFarlane supports the production as Associate Choreographer, with Tommy Franzen and Lizzie Gough as Assistant Choreographers. DJ Walde is Music Associate and additional arrangements.
The dynamic company of A Message in a Bottle is supported by Oliver Andrews, Lindon Barr, Deavion Brown, David Cottle, Harrison Dowzell, Nestor Garcia Gonzalez, Natasha Gooden, Lizzie Gough, Anna Holström, Megan Ingram, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Charlotte Lee, Daniella May, Dylan Mayoral, Lukas McFarlane, Robbie Ordona, Lara Renaud, Hannah Sandilands, Jessey Stol, Steven Thompson, Gavin Vincent, and Malachi Welsh.
After a West End run in 2020, Message in a Bottle is currently touring. Message in a Bottle's North American tour stops include the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (April 9–21), New York City Center (April 30–May 12), and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia (May 14–19).
Learn more at messageinabottleshow.co.uk.
