John Mellencamp/Stephen King Musical To Feature Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Kris Kristofferson
By Jeffrey Hyatt
John Mellencamp has put together an all-star cast for his new musical, Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County. According to Pollstar, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow and Neko Case are among the big names starring in the show, which makes its big debut in Atlanta, Georgia at the Alliance Theater on September 10.
Mellencamp and author Stephen King have been collaborating on the project for ten years.
The show is described as “a sultry, Southern gothic mystery with a blues-tinged, guitar-driven score;” the narrative revolves around a ’50s Mississippi family in fictional Lake Belle Reve and a murder mystery. Both Mellencamp and King are also featured in the cast.
“It is John Mellencamp’s musical style and it’s Stephen King’s gothic style, and I just thought it was too cool to pass up,” Alliance artistic director Susan V. Booth told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in early 2008.
If you cannot make it to Atlanta for the show, a luckily a Ghost Brothers special edition package – produced by T-Bone Burnett – will be available before the show’s Sept. 10 opening. The 3-disc package includes the show’s complete book, a cast recording of the entire production and a CD with Mellencamp’s songs by themselves.
Billboard (via Consequence of Sound) spoke to Mellencamp back in 2005, who elaborates on the story behind Ghost Brothers of Darkland County:
“What has happened is that the father had two older brothers who hated each other and killed each other in that cabin. There’s a confederacy of ghosts who also live in this house. The older [dead] brothers are there, and they speak to the audience, and they sing to the audience.”
Lots of big names now involved with this show, so no denying there will plenty of buzz leading up to the premiere in September. Should be a real treat.
