Jerry Garcia Goes Off Broadway in ‘Red Roses, Green Gold’

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Deadheads, be grateful.

Back in June, Broadway World reported that a Grateful Dead musical was in the works. Now it’s official: “Red Roses, Green Gold” is opening Oct. 29 at Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village.

The musical will feature music and lyrics by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia. Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Greg Anton, founding and former members of the Grateful Dead, will provide additional music, and the keyboardist Jeff Chimenti will provide musical supervision and arrangements.

According to a news release, the musical takes place in Maryland in the 1920s and “tells the fantastical and comedic tale of Jackson Jones and his family of swindlers as they gamble their way to love and riches.”

Michael Norman Mann wrote the book for “Red Roses, Green Gold,” and this will be his third time using the music of Mr. Hunter and Garcia. His two previous Grateful Dead-inspired works include “Cumberland Blues,” staged in 1998 and “Shakedown Street” in 2005. Rachel Klein, who directed “The Anthem” and “Around the World in 80 Days,” will direct and choreograph.

Tickets are to go on sale as early as Sept. 13, and previews begin on Oct. 11.

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