Theater Review: In ‘Ghost Brothers,’ Mellencamp's tunes outshine Stephen King's storyBY CHANNING GRAY
Journal Arts Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Put two powerhouses like Stephen King and John Mellencamp in the same room and ask them to come up with a musical, and you might expect great results.
But the touring “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” the King-Mellencamp collaboration that made a one-night stop at Veterans Memorial Auditorium Saturday, was pretty lopsided, with Mellencamp’s upbeat fusion of blues, country and rock often overshadowing King’s rather flat book.
The music is pretty much nonstop, with one bright tune after another. Eric Moore was burning up the stage at the end of the first act, with his sizzling, gospel-laced “Tear That Cabin Down.” And Billy Burke’s “How Many Days” was sheer joy.
If Burke’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he played Charlie Swan in the hugely popular ”Twilight” franchise. Playing opposite him, as wife Monique, is Gina Gershon, another big name who starred on Broadway and has a ton of credits.
So the producers went to solid leads, and as it turns out lesser roles who could sing and move well, although there are no dance numbers to speak of.
I also thought the set was terrific, reminding me a little of “Once,” where the actors step to the center of the stage to deliver their lines, then retreat to the sidelines. And the band is right there in the middle of the stage, not tucked away in the pit.
A backdrop of a faded, moss-covered inn helped underscore King’s apparent interest in the Southern gothic.
But his story about sibling rivalry and long-held secrets is far from his best work. At times, it’s downright Shakespearean with all the gore, but most of the time it lacks the kind of compelling storytelling we so admire about King.
Basically, Burke’s Joe McCandless, the patriarch of the clan, has invited the family to spend the weekend at their summer cabin where he hopes his sons to smooth over their differences. They’re at each other’s throats, he says.
Joe’s concerned because when he was a kid he lost his two brothers in a terrible accident that resulted from their constant feuding. Now he is concerned the same thing might happen to his two warring sons.
But first to bring about healing in his family, Joe must deal with a long-held secret about the accident.
It wouldn’t be a King musical without a nod to the supernatural, so Joe and his family are accompanied by their dead relatives, ghosts whom no one can see or hear, but who have plenty to say.
http://www.providencejournal.com/features/entertainment/content/20141122-theater-review-in-ghost-brothers-mellencamp-s-tunes-outshine-stephen-king-s-story.ece
