Red Roses, Green Gold, the Off-Broadway musical based on the music of the Grateful Dead, will end its run at the Minetta Lane Theatre one month early, with February 18th marking the production’s final New York performance. The show was previously scheduled to continue its limited run through March 18th. Red Roses, Green Gold officially opened on October 29th, 2017 and will have completed 129 regular performances in addition to 21 previews by the time they finally strike their set.
The show is closing earlier than planned as the cast prepares to head to this year’s South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Red Roses, Green Gold will stage a special performance on Friday, March 16th. In addition to the special performance at SXSW, Broadway World reports that “plans are in the works for an original cast album, and for additional productions and touring across the US in 2019, with cities and dates to be announced.”
Red Roses, Green Gold was directed and choreographed by Rachel Klein, with a book by Michael Norman Mann and musical supervision/direction and arrangements provided by Jeff Chimenti, a member of Dead & Company and longtime satellite in the Grateful Dead galaxy. The show’s music, of course, is credited predominantly to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, with additional music and lyrics credits attributed to fellow Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mikey Hart.
As Chimenti explained to Newsday ahead of the musical’s Off-Broadway run, “[The show’s producers] said they were looking for someone to give guidance and keep the Grateful Dead music authentic. This isn’t trying to be a Grateful Dead cover band. There’s a story here. It’s my job to make sure the music is represented as properly as possible.”
Red Roses, Green Gold, set in the 1920’s, tells the comical tale of a man named Jackson Jones and his family of swindlers and con artists as they gamble their way to riches and love. In addition to providing the soundtrack, the Grateful Dead inspired many of the show’s characters. Among the list of characters are charismatic trickster Mick, a.k.a. “The Candy Man,” and Bertha, a woman appropriately described in the show’s initial casting call as a “firecracker.”
Don’t miss your chance to check out the Grateful Dead-inspired Red Roses, Green Gold in New York while you still can! Tickets are available here.
[H/T – Broadway.com]