Idaho Falls, Idaho (KIFI) — In a tradition spanning more than a decade, the award-winning original production Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera is returning to Idaho Falls on October 27th for its annual Halloween performance at the Colonial Theatre.
The cast will feature Sheldon Bladh as Florence, Mike Dunn as Friedrich, Chase McKnight as Old Bones, and add a new performer and BYU student, Aspen Palmer, as Constance. In addition to playing Old Bones, Chase McKnight also continues to co-direct with Liz Whittaker.
Longtime fans of Deep Love know that the production is closer to a rock concert than a musical performance, with audience members encouraged to clap, sing along, dance, and cheer. Audience members also attend in their best funeral attire, ranging from simple black clothing to full skeleton makeup. As a gothic ghost story told through rock and roll, the show has become a Halloween tradition for hundreds of fans.
Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera is a show without dialogue—a modern take on the opera—where the characters tell the story entirely through the veil of a rock & roll concert. In the tradition of The Who’s Tommy and Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Deep Love tells the story of a widowed Constance and the tragedy that threatens when her former love arises from the dead to demand her loyalty. Will she and her new beau, Friedrich, survive the jealousy of their former loves, the violent Florence, and the vengeful Old Bones? Or will they fall prey to the darkness that haunts them?
Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera is the collaboration of BYU-Idaho alumni Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood. From the first performance in 2010 in Rexburg, Idaho, the audience for Deep Love has grown from the two-dozen attendees in a living room, to thousands of devoted fans across the country.
In 2015, Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera was selected as a featured production in the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), following which it was invited to be workshopped at the Johnny Mercer Writers’ Colony at the Goodspeed Theatre.
This is also the first time the show is being produced under their newly formed 501c3 organization, officially named Fairest of Friends (after one of the songs in the show). This means that any donations or sponsorships are now fully tax-deductible (for more information, click here).
Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera has been called “a polished show with pop ambitions” by The New York Times; “A credible sounding rock amalgam of the likes of Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Aerosmith” by Theater Scene; “Fabulously ghoulish!” by Backstage.com; and “[a] unique blend of musical styles, engaging story, and a captivating, immersive production” by SLC Weekly.
Audience members who love rock music and gothic tales, as well as those looking for a fun event to attend this Halloween season, must purchase tickets before this show returns to its crypt. To access online ticket sales before the event, click here.
