It was a dark and stormy night as this reviewer approached the theatre. She was traveling solo as Theatre Companions I, II, and III were otherwise occupied. Cue impending doom-sounding minor chords. There would be blood. There would be murders. There will be no one to hold her hand in the scary parts or laugh when she flinches at the sight of stage blood.

Yes, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, with its book by Stephen King, lives up to his oeuvre. It was ominous. It was strongly-rooted in relationships and reality with an unreal twist. It was spectacular in its simplicity and complexity. Punctuate the storytelling with a Southern rock/folk/blues score by John Cougar Mellencamp, and it’s no surprise why Road Less Traveled Productions was so eager to stage this show. It has everything you need for a great and creepy night at the theatre.

This show has been around for a while in a few iterations: a version made the rounds in some southern regional theatres in 2012, and Mellencamp released a soundtrack in 2013. The creative duo continued to rework the piece and RLTP is the first theatre company to produce this version. It’s really so good. Director Doug Weyand created tense and frantic stage movements that advances the story at times without words. It’s a spectacular meshing of story, stage magic, and a killer (I mean that in a good way) cast.

Indeed it was worth the wait. In brief, it’s the story of two sets of brothers, separated by several years, and the women who love them. Both. At the same time. Jack (Ryan Butler) and Andy (Thomas Evans) are competing for the affection of Jenna (Anna Fernandez), Miss Darkland County. They bring her to their cabin and….well, murder. Timehop to the story of brothers Frank (Alex Garcia) and Drake (Ricky Needham) and their woman Anna (Leah Berst) who wants to visit the legendary “murder cabin” before she and Frank leave home for New York City. They do, and again….murder. I know, sometimes even prime lake-front real estate just can’t catch a break.

The story is told by a troubadour who also steps into the story as the cabin’s caretaker and is really the (uncredited role) Devil. Matt Witten is outstanding here. He morphs from folksy to cranky to downright scary and he’s magnificent. A couple seasons ago, I was afraid of Amy Jakiel after her portrayal of Frau Kost in Second Generation’s production of Cabaret. Now I’m afraid of Witten and anyone wearing black jeans.  Again, this is Weyand directing and choreographing this team to absolute perfection. Witten paces the stage and talks to the audience and then talks to the brothers and their women surreptitiously. Or as the Devil says, “I’m the voice inside your head.” Weyand’s choreography of the songs is subtle and on point. Standouts are Anna’s sultry “That’s Who I Am” and the brothers’ fierce “Brotherly Love”  that is anything but. The actors are all outstanding singers and their solos and ensemble pieces are stunning.

Special shout out to set designer Dyan Burlingame for the ambience of a dank rural cabin that breathes discomfort. Yes, you “feel” the tension just by seeing the plain walls and the surrounding dark woods, and John Rickus for lots of insanely good lighting effects. The changing nature of the chandelier, the light that shines through bullet holes and the spaces between the logs….chilling and perfect. Live musicians are always a treat, especially in this space, and Matt Caputy. Leah Zicari, Jake Payne. Nick Corallo, Todd Clossner, and Marc Cousins were tight and right.

For those who turn up their nose as the traditional musical, this show could change your mind. There was music that was well-placed and helped deepen the characters’ motivations, but it really existed in a different way than scores inside traditional musicals. It wasn’t what I’d call a juke box musical either: Mellencamp’s music was well connected to King’s story and this cast had the right chops to carry it off. In other words, it made you watch this show with your head and your heart (yup, that’s a little bit of foreshadowing.)

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County runs a brisk 75-minutes without an intermission to May 17. Find details and tickets at https://www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org/.