Moody, Eerie Vibes: Jobsite Theatre Kicks Off Spooky Season with Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
By Avery Anderson
If Halloween had a house band, it might sound a lot like this.
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County — the new Jobsite Theatre production opening this month at the Straz Center — blends a Southern Gothic ghost story from Stephen King with a blues-soaked score by John Mellencamp. The result? A swampy, supernatural parable with “moody, eerie vibes,” as actor Jonathan Harrison puts it, “the kind of show that feels like a spooky campfire story meeting a good old-fashioned back-porch concert.”
The show’s origins are as haunted as its plot. It premiered at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in 2014, toured briefly in a concert version, then largely disappeared — until now. Jobsite is staging the Florida premiere of this newly streamlined 80-minute version, featuring “fresh orchestrations approved by the creators.”
“I don’t know why it’s not better known,” Harrison says. “Covid probably didn’t help. But it’s such a cool piece — moody, bluesy, a little twisted. It’s the perfect fit for Jobsite.”
A Devil with a Twang
Harrison plays The Troubadour — a role he describes, with an appropriately mischievous grin, as “essentially the devil himself.”
“I start the show off and I end the show,” he says. “I’m kind of this entity, this devil that’s observing and subtly manipulating things throughout. Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes not so much.”
It’s a part that lets Harrison stretch beyond his usual musical-theatre comfort zone. “The opening number, Tear This Cabin Down, was originally sung by Taj Mahal on the concept album,” he says. “I don’t sound anything like Taj Mahal, but I get to rough it up a bit — really dig into that blues-gospel sound. It’s been fun to stress my vocal skills in a totally different way.”
Mellencamp, Meet King
Forget golden-age showtunes. Mellencamp’s music, arranged by legendary producer T-Bone Burnett, leans heavy on roots and rhythm — all sweat and shadow. “Right off the bat, we want everybody to feel like they’re in swampland — New Orleans, Louisiana — sweat coming off your skin,” Harrison says. “It’s got that zydeco feel. It’s not Jack and Diane.”
Set in a haunted cabin where two brothers once fought — and died — over the same woman, the story mirrors itself decades later as a young couple hears the tale and begins to repeat it.
That idea — of cycles repeating, of lessons unlearned — lands differently in a time when communities everywhere are asking how to move forward without losing their soul. Ghost Brothers doesn’t just raise the dead; it asks what keeps resurrecting them.
Coming Home to Jobsite
Harrison’s been part of Jobsite’s unofficial Halloween canon for years, appearing in Gory Stories, Shockheaded Peter, and Silence! The Musical. Coming back, he says, “always feels like coming home.”
“I know what I’m getting — I know their structure and how they put things together,” he says. “They take risks. They’re not afraid of weird. And that’s why Ghost Brothers is such a perfect fit. It’s spooky, but it’s also smart.”
Rehearsals, he adds, have been “fun and seamless.” The process starts with music director Jeremy Douglass teaching the score, then choreographer Alexander Jones shaping the movement, before director David Jenkins weaves it all together. “We’re just getting to tech week, so we haven’t even heard the full band yet,” Harrison says. “Once you add lights, the band, the gunshots — chef’s kiss. It’s gonna be wild.”
Yes, there’s a real gun. Yes, it fires nine times. “It’s startling,” he admits, “but it works for the story.”
A Vibe, Not a Bloodbath
Despite the ominous title, this isn’t a gore-fest. “It’s not that kind of story,” Harrison says. “It’s more Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt — moody, eerie, full of mystery and parable. It’s the perfect way to kick off your spooky season.”
So, if you’re craving ghosts without the jump scares — and music that sounds like midnight in a Mississippi swamp — Jobsite has you covered.
“We’re creating a vibe,” Harrison says simply. “And I’m all about a good vibe.”
If You Go
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County By Stephen King (book) and John Mellencamp (music & lyrics) Directed by David Jenkins | Music direction by Jeremy Douglass | Choreography by Alexander Jones
📍 Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts
📅 October 15–Nov 9, 2025