Mellencamp's music makes 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County'By Gabe Hartwig
“Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” the Southern Gothic musical collaboration between singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and horror author Stephen King, deserves more than its current national tour of one-night engagements.
The show played the Peabody Opera House on Saturday.
That’s not to say the show is flawless. But it is a raw, fascinating ride, and there’s a lot to enjoy along the way — most notably Mellencamp’s music and lyrics. A mix of folk and bluesy rock, the songs don’t advance King’s convoluted plot much. But they’re soulful and moving. The four-piece onstage band is made up of members of Mellencamp’s own band.
T Bone Burnett is the show’s musical director; Susan V. Booth of Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre directs.
But about that plot: A father (Billy Burke) brings his alcoholic wife (Gina Gershon), their two grown sons and the girl they’re fighting over to the family cabin so he can get some things off his chest.
Turns out, he once had a pair of feuding older brothers, and the tale of how they met their demise has been troubling him since childhood. At the old family cabin in Darkland County, Miss., he hopes to clear the air and prevent his own sons from a similar fate.
Also: The cabin is haunted.
The plot takes many twists, some of them nonsensical. And there are a lot of actors to keep straight: ghosts, living people, the band, a 10-year-old version of Dad Joe, a Satan-like character who narrates and prods characters to make bad choices, another narrator/bandleader known as “Zydeco Cowboy” — all onstage at all times.
In the style of “Once,” “Ghost Brothers” is staged simply — perhaps too simply. And some odd lighting choices make it difficult to determine which of the 20 people onstage we should be paying attention to.
This is Mellencamp and King’s first foray into musical theater, and “Ghost Brothers” has been in the works for 13 years. It’s evolved over time. Perhaps with more time, the story will make as much sense as the music.
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