According to Broadway World, a new musical featuring the music of the Grateful Dead is in the works. Thus far, no title for the musical has been released, though it has been described as “a new musical comedy, featuring the music of THE GRATEFUL DEAD- a semi-fantastical and immersive Americana tale of the Jones family in 1920’s Cumberland, Maryland, as they con, swindle and gamble their way into riches.” While the post on the site is relatively vague, as the production is still in its casting stages, it does shed light on some of the musical’s key players, including Dead & Co’s Jeff Chimenti as musical director with the July reading being directed by Rachel Klein.
In an Equity casting notice, even more is revealed about the Grateful Dead musical, including the cast of major characters who will be featured in the musical. Among the list of characters, we have Jack, the cunning family patriarch; Melinda, the beautiful and independent daughter described as “a total lady boss”; Mick (a.k.a. “The Candy Man”), the charismatic and sexy trickster; Jessup, the villainous wealthy mining tycoon; and Dudley, the “lovable, slow-witted son” of the the villian, Jessup. Being a Grateful Dead musical, no cast would be complete without a Bertha, who is described as a “firecracker.” And, being a musical in general, no such casting would be complete without a mysterious out-of-towner who rolls through and must win the love of a lady “despite having some secrets.”
The first rehearsal for the upcoming musical starts on July 10th and runs through July 21st, with auditions being held on June 16th. Luckily, the closing date for the rehearsals falls on the first night of Phish’s Baker’s Dozen run, so that the cast can go check out some other jam juggernauts who have gotten their Madison Square Garden residency as a direct product of the Grateful Dead and their enduring legacy.
[H/T Jambase]