Mellencamp, Stephen King collaborate Associated Press February 27, 2008
ATLANTA -- Creating a Broadway musical can be scary enough. Even more so when it's script is penned by horror master Stephen King. King, who has written numerous best-selling novels, has written the script for "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County," with music by John Mellencamp.
The play will open at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in April 2009, with the object of getting it ready for a Broadway run. The Alliance, which announced the project on Tuesday, described it as "a sultry Southern gothic mystery with a blues-tinged, guitar-driven score."
The story is set in the fictional town of Lake Belle Reve, Miss., and centers on the deaths in 1957 of two brothers and a young girl and the legend that grows out of the tragedy. Peter Askin, whose New York credits include "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," will direct.
The idea for the story was Mellencamp's, and came from a story he heard years ago in his hometown of Seymour, Ind., said Alliance artistic director Susan Booth.
Video is Dark. You may need to adjust Brightness and Contrast settings for optimal viewing. Hundreds of obsessed Clay Aiken fans -- called "Claymates" -- endure sub-freezing weather to get a close-up glimpse of their American Idol.
As I mentioned, I took my wife to see Clay Aiken in concert at the Star Plaza Theater last night. It was a Christmas show in two parts. The first forty-five minutes was Christmas music performed by the Bill Porter Orchestra. The Bill Porter Orchestra is a consortium of musicians from the Northwestern Indiana/Chicagoland area that performs every Wednesday evening at Green Dolphin Street Jazz Night Club in Chicago. Porter, who played trombone with the orchestra during Aiken's second half of the show, made the orchestral half of the show more appealing to the "Claymate" fans by adding his own blend of humor to the show, keeping patrons laughing as they eagerly awaited their Idol's entrance. Though some of Porter's humor was admittedly a bit risque for a family crowd at a Christmas show, any offense taken seemed to melt away easily.
After a fifteen minute intermission, the American Idol runner up took to the stage crooning out the carols in the unique style that has quickly made him a multi-platinum recording artist. In rare form for the night, Aiken also tossed in some humor of his own, engaging in banter with the "Claymates" in the audience and, after a two week silence, revealing what he really thinks about the recent controversy between himself and Kelly Ripa while guest-hosting on Live With Regis and Kelly.
"Was I rude?" Aiken called to the hoard of screaming fans, who roared back in unison, "No."
"It was intended to be," he confessed. "A little." Aiken later returned to the topic when heckling one of his fans who, in her excitement, had pushed aside a fan sitting in the row in front of her: "That was worse than what I did to Ripa." The crowd roared approval. And again later when he threatened to put his hand over the mouth of one of his fans, the "Claymates" erupted.
Aikens playlist included such popular Christmas songs as Sleigh Ride, Mary Did You Know, My Grownup Christmas List, and Don't Save It All For Christmas Day, and "Claymate" favorites All Is Well and Merry Christmas With Love (all of which can easily be found and viewed on YouTube). Aiken -- who is very involved with fans through blogging and online chat -- put on a good show, both singing and joking with fans in the crowd.
What was most surprising came after the show, as hundreds of "Claymates" lined the parking lot in sixteen-degree weather waiting for their American Idol to come out of his behemoth bus and pass in review. He did so, briefly, and as you can see in the embedded video, the "Claymates" loved it. For most of the fans in attendance this was not their first Clay Aiken concert. In fact, many attendees had seen the same show the previous night in Waukeegan, Illinois, and more than a few find their way to every concert Aiken performs. While it was my first Clay Aiken concert, I'm sure my wife won't let it be my last.
Is Clay Aiken the new Elvis? The last time I've seen fans so devoted to their Idol was when Elvis was King. Is there a new King in town? While Aiken calls himself the "King of Controversy," I'm sure millions of "Claymates" the world over call him king of their hearts.
Wife and I went to see the Broadway Series presentation of Les Miserables last week at IU Auditorium. Wife was especially excited that a former High School classmate of hers was cast as Enjolras. It was a bitter cold night in Indiana, and it didn't take long for us to find fault with the Auditorium's accommodations. Surrounded by parking lots that require an IU Parking Permit, the Auditorium's closest available patron parking was an open air parking garage a good 10 minute walk away -- which felt like 30 minutes in the windy March air. STRIKE ONE! We easily stretched that 10 minute walk to 15 for the lack of any directional guidance to the Auditorium. We could easily have seen half the campus before finding our seats in the balcony. STRIKE TWO!
It's a nice looking Auditorium inside -- it makes you feel like you're at the theater. From our front row balcony seats we had a surprisingly complete view of the large rotating stage that has no doubt seen many miles in one of the many Les Mis semis parked outside.
To the credit of all parties involved, the lights dimmed on time and the show started promptly. If only others who purchased seats in our section had arrived as promptly, there would have been no ushers stumbling in the dark with flashlights directing the inconsiderate latecomers to their seats -- flashlights that may just as well have been the stage lights swung out on the audience. Those who can't be seated before the lights go down should be corralled outside the Auditorium until the lights come back up at Intermission. FOUL TIP.
Before long things were well under way and the cast presented themselves quite well for opening night. Wife was impressed with Old Classmate's performance and quite pleased to see he's become successful. Intermission was brief and the shorter Act II began just as promptly as its considerably longer predecessor. The entire troupe presenting the show is to be commended for a job well done. IN-THE-PARK HOMERUN.
The Barbarians sitting next to us who apparently couldn't follow the action without repeatedly flashing their annoying blue flashlights and consulting their Playbills, and who later found it necessary to slip out like stealthy elephants 10 minutes before the curtain call, should have their theater privileges eternally revoked. EJECTED FROM THE GAME!
As the cast took to the stage after the show, Wife and I were both shocked and disappointed when we found ourselves among the very few who appreciated the troupe's efforts enough to show our gratitude on our feet. I guess those around us sitting on their brains were warming them up for the cold walk back to their cars. BANNEDFORLIFE!
Wife and I made the cold trek to the car agreeing that the show was enjoyable, the audience was either ungrateful or unconscious, the weather was too cold for March, and that IU Auditorium was far from our venue of choice.
Bottom Line: see the show, but see it anywhere but Bloomington!
Copyright (c) 2005 - 2010 Average Joe American (Jeff Cole)
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