IU Auditorium announces Ghost Brothers cast

IU Auditorium announced Friday the cast for “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” Bloomington-native John Mellencamp, author Stephen King and producer T Bone Burnett’s musical collaboration that will debut in Bloomington.

The actors that make up the characters in the McCandless family, which includes some of the main characters, include Bruce Greenwood, Emily Skinner, Lucas Kavner and Joe Tippett.

The show’s themes include fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge.

The story takes place in Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi in 1967 and follows the story of the McCandless family.

In this small town, two brothers and a young girl are killed. No one knows exactly what happened.

No one except Joe McCandless.

The rest of the show is spent watching Joe decide if he can tell the truth in time to save his troubled sons.

The audience is left wondering if the ghosts left behind will help Joe, or if they will tear apart the McCandless family forever.

The full cast is composed of 15 actors and a four-piece live band.

Directors have worked on the musical for 13 years.

Its debut follows the release of an album produced by Burnett that came out earlier in the year.

Featured artists on the album include Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, and Rosanne Cash, and some of the songs are Mellencamp’s.

The show is sponsored by Nature’s Way and WTTS 92.3.

After the show premieres at 8 p.m. Oct. 10 in the IU Auditorium, it will go on to tour 20 cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

The musical will return to the auditorium for another performance Oct. 23.
Tickets range from $20 to $41 for students with a valid ID.

Tickets may be purchased at IUauditorium.com and Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the IU Auditorium Box Office.

— Amanda Arnold