John, a witch boy, portrayed by Lebron Lackey, falls in love with Barbara Allen, a human girl, played by Joanna Key, in "Dark of the Moon," at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.It would be difficult to shoehorn "Dark of the Moon," the Chattanooga Theatre Centre's 2011-2012 MainStage season opener.
"It robs from Shakespeare, it robs from Greek tragedies, it robs from the Bible," said director Scott Dunlap, who also designed the set and the costumes. "It's epic. It's a very big story."
Written by Howard Richardson, "Dark of the Moon" is set in Appalachia in the mid-1940s and tells the story of John, a witch boy, who seeks to become human after falling in love with a human girl, Barbara Allen.
The story is also infused with bluegrass music, said Dunlap, but is a play with music as opposed to a musical.
And although the play has a Halloween feel to it, audiences should not expect to see "Friday the 13th" or "Saw," he said, but neither should they expect a bluegrass musical along the lines of "Smoke on the Mountain."
"It seems like a weird mash-up but is quite logical if you think about the time and place," Dunlap said, referring to the witchy fairy tales and bluegrass music, which have similar roots in the Scottish, Irish and Germans who settled Appalachia.
He said the play, in fact, may have more appeal now than it did when it was first performed in 1942.
With two competing forces, and neither willing to give in to the other, it might even be seen as an allegory to today's government tugs-of-war, Dunlap said.
"Sometimes," he said, "with people of absolute conviction, there is no room for errors on either side, and that causes bigger errors."
The backing bluegrass music will include "The Ballad of Barbara Allen" (on which the play is based), tunes made famous by the Carter Family, folk tunes and gospel songs.
"There are definitely things people will recognize," Dunlap said.
Two members of the cast, Lisa Gates and Haley Graham, sing and play the guitar to accentuate the three musicians.
Dunlap described the cast of 21 as "really, really amazing."
"Lebron Lackey and Joanna Key are absolutely engaging as the two lovers," he said.
At its heart, said the director, "Dark of the Moon" is a love story.
"It's been called the Appalachian Romeo and Juliet," he said. "The audience appeal is quite wide."
The play is suggested for teens through adults.