The Southern gothic, supernatural musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will be on the road with a 20 city tour, courtesy of AEG Live. Written by Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, the stage show will be hitting cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast, kicking off on October 10, 2013 in Bloomington, Indiana. Tickets go on sale on May 17th at aeglive.com.
15 actors and a four-piece live band will bring the production to life on the stage. And for those who can’t make a live show, an album of the musical will be available on June 4th via Hear Music and the Concord Music Group.
The official plot: “Set in the tiny town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi, the Ghost Brothers’ story centers on two sets of brothers: the ghosts of Jack and Andy, dead in an apparent murder/suicide, and their nephews, the living Frank and Drake, who seem to be headed toward the same downward spiral as their uncles. Joe, younger brother of Jack and Andy, father of Frank and Drake, has decided it’s time to reveal his own terrible secret at the site of the tragedy before it’s too late.”
A story John Mellencamp told Stephen King about two brothers in love with the same girl provided fodder for Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. According to Stephen King’s official site, the award-winning bestselling author was able to come up with an outline for the play in just a few days. After the outline was developed, King and Mellencamp worked on fleshing out the story.
“John can make rock & roll records and I can write books for the rest of our lives,” said King, “but that’s the safe way to do it, and that’s no way to live if you want to stay creative. We were willing to be educated, and at our age, that’s an accomplishment.”
“This is a gothic story-driven rock concert,” said director Susan Booth. “I want the emphasis to be on this fantastic score and our great singers and how the story advances us from song to song. In most musicals, the songs advance the narrative. With Ghost Brothers, the story will advance the songs.”
Ghost Brothers Dates
October
10 – Bloomington, IN – Indiana University Auditorium
11 – Louisville, KY – Whitney Hall *
12 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium
13 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium **
16 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
17 – Evansville, IN – Aiken Theatre at The Centre
18 – Indianapolis, IN – Clowes Memorial Hall
19 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
22 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre
24 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre
25 – Madison, WI – Overture Hall
26 – Rockford, IL – Coronado Performing Arts Center
27 – Appleton, WI – Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
29 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre ***
31 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
November
1 – Sioux City, IA – Orpheum Theatre
2 – Ames, IA – Stephens Auditorium
3 – Davenport, IA – Adler Theatre
5 – South Bend, IN – Morris Performing Arts Center
6 – Grand Rapids, MI – DeVos Performance Hall
