Joel Pierson of the Bloomington Herald-Times had this to say about the Ghost Brothers premiere last Thursday night:
Photo courtesy of Chris Howell/ Herald-Times
A packed house was on hand at the Indiana University Auditorium Thursday night to watch the premiere of the long-anticipated national tour of “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.”
The new musical, with book by Stephen King and music by John Mellencamp, is more than 10 years in the making, and like any new work for the stage, it will evolve and change, finding its way with each new audience. The premiere was a bit of a mixed bag, with some things that worked well and others that would benefit from another polish.
What workedClearly, what drove this show was the performances. Bruce Greenwood as Joe McCandless was the anchor, as well as the link between the show’s two time periods. In 1967, a young Joe watched his two brothers die needlessly; in 2007, his own sons are at risk of repeating history.
Greenwood brings an earthy seriousness to the role, and man oh man, can that guy sing! Tony nominee Emily Skinner was equally impressive as his long-suffering wife, Monique.
Narrating the show for the audience were Jesse Lenat as the Zydeco Cowboy and Jake LaBotz as a demonic presence known as “The Shape.” Both characters interacted with the players as well as the audience, even expressing their hope that we had a good intermission. Aww, thank you, Zydeco Cowboy.
Mellencamp’s music is strong as well. Fans of his folk/blues style will find plenty to love in this show. Songs like “How Many Days,” “Brotherly Love” and “Tear This Cabin Down” demonstrate the hard-bitten edge that’s been woven through his music for years.
What didn’t workThat said, writing folk rock isn’t exactly like writing for the stage, and as such, the music featured powerful solo and duet pieces. Ensemble pieces weren’t always as strong, missing out on opportunities for stage favorites such as powerful four-part harmony.
My biggest qualm was with the staging. It was very minimalist, with an old-timey microphone at the front of the stage and a row of folding chairs up center.
When characters were performing, they stood at the microphone, often acting full front to the audience, rather than to each other. Those who weren’t in the scene sat in the folding chairs, in full view of the audience. This made “Ghost Brothers” feel more like a costumed concert than a night of musical theater.
Another surprise was the tone of the show. With King’s storyline, I expected it to be dark and gothic, moody and atmospheric. There were hints of this, but what pervaded was humor — frequent, often off-color jokes that, for me at least, undercut the “Kinginess” I came to see.
I’m glad I went, and the show has potential to be a hit, but the producers need to remember that Broadway ain’t Bloomington, and they’ll need to bring their “A” game for a theatergoing audience that wasn’t born in a small town.
As a footnote, I was seated about six feet away from Messrs. King and Mellencamp and Meg Ryan, and I frequently looked over at them, watching King whisper in his collaborator’s ear, as Ryan swayed and bopped to the music. It was a pleasure to watch them get into the show this way. I only wish they’d given me a bit more to look at on stage.
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/entertainment/some-parts-work-others-don-t-in-ghost-brothers-premiere/article_0950c01d-2131-52b6-9b49-60bb63a43d6f.html?_dc=381117739714.6821
