Deep Love Rock Opera

The English language is good at a lot of things. Describing “love” as a concept isn’t one of them.

Provo resident Ryan Hayes, co-creator of the rock opera “Deep Love,” referenced the ancient Greeks. They had four main words for love: “agápe,” which was the highest, undying, transcendent kind of love; eros, which connotes sexual passion and an appreciation of beauty itself; philia, or brotherly love; and “storge,” the longsuffering acceptance one might feel for family members or country.

But this rock opera isn’t performed in Greek. It’s in English.

“Love isn’t always a clear-cut thing, in my opinion. And a lot of people do a lot of messed-up stuff out of ‘love,’ ” Hayes said. “It’s tricky. I think that I was confused by love for a long time. I think I’m still confused by love.”
FROM REXBURG TO BROADWAY

“Deep Love” comes to Velour Live Music Gallery in downtown Provo on Thursday, and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday. After its initial performance in a Rexburg, Idaho, living room seven years ago, “Deep Love” became a Halloween mainstay in Utah’s theater scene. It has since been showcased at the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival, which included a piece in the New York Times.

The stage production features four characters — two male, two female — who become entangled in each other’s love lives. This isn’t your average love triangle, though: Some of the characters are dead. Tied to (and trapped by) their own notions of love, the characters discover whether their affection can continue beyond the grave.

“We’re not trying to be preachy,” Hayes said. “We’re just coming up with scenarios. What if there were two lovers separated by death? And what if there was a new lover in the picture?”

These themes, Hayes said, resonated with local audiences in a way he never expected. He and Garrett Sherwood, a college friend and roommate, mostly wrote “Deep Love” as a creative exercise. Sherwood remembers mapping out the show’s plot with a marker, scrawling it on the mirror in their bedroom.

“We were both single, and it was winter in Rexburg, so our options on what to do with our time were pretty limited,” he said. “We sort of fell backwards into something profound. I don’t think we realized how the songs and the characters and the story would connect to people the way it did.”

Its resonance, though, actually makes sense in the context of its audience. Mormonism dominates the demographics of Rexburg and Utah. Concepts like eternal life and eternal love are central to Latter-day Saint theology. The macabre nature of “Deep Love” might not resemble Mormonism, but the ideas behind it are quite familiar.

The first two “Deep Love” performances — one in a living room, the other at the burger joint Sammy’s — were meager, but immediately triggered a unique zeal among the audience. They wanted to do a bigger production, but the only larger venue in Rexburg was the Rexburg Tabernacle, which seats more than a thousand. That’s a big jump. On a weeknight during BYU-Idaho’s finals week, “Deep Love” sold out the entire tabernacle. This audience excitement became par for the course as “Deep Love” expanded into Utah’s theater scene.

“And if we did it every night of the week, they’d probably come every night of the week,” Sherwood said. “And they’d come dressed up as their favorite character.”

“I think that everybody wants to be a part of something greater than themselves,” Hayes added, “and the ‘Deep Love’ community is worth taking a look at, as a sociological experiment if nothing more, to see how a small group of people with common interests can come together and create something that is greater than any of them ever could have imagined.”
SQUARE PEGS, ROUND HOLES

Jon Peter Lewis plays the character of Old Bones, a deceased man trying to maintain his claim on a living lover. Lewis has played Old Bones and served as the rock opera’s director since the beginning. He admitted he was skeptical when Hayes and Sherwood first conceived it — a rock opera is no small undertaking — but was immediately sold when he heard the songs.

“And I had a lot of visions of what it could become, right there in the moment,” Lewis said.

The group’s experience at the New York Musical Theatre festival, according to those interviewed, was a mixed bag of sorts. Lewis said it put them on the radar, and certainly upped the musical’s production value. But “Deep Love” isn’t formatted like your average Broadway musical. For one, the entire show is sung, like an opera. The songs come first, with the narrative supporting the songs. On Broadway it’s typically the opposite.

While “Deep Love” garnered its share of attention in New York, it also left many of Broadway’s more traditional gatekeepers scratching their heads.

“What we’re trying to do is tell a story in very broad strokes, and let people have a more musical experience than a theatrical experience,” Lewis explained. “In theater today, there’s a heavy reliance upon non-profit organizations to finance new musicals. And I think that removes a person from being in tune with what audiences want.”

Hayes put it this way: “Out here in the West, people eat it up. Out East, it’s hard to get these old dudes with money to take much interest, because it’s just a money game.”
ALWAYS IN FLUX

Though it’s been going for seven years, “Deep Love” is still rather malleable. Each year brings slight changes to the dialogue, the characters and the music. Some of those changes have been rather substantial. When “Deep Love” first started, Hayes said the two female leads were secondary characters. Their prominence has increased steadily, and Hayes thinks “Deep Love” is now more about the women than the men.

That’s certainly evident in the character Florence. Originally conceived as a rather vindictive character, Florence has become far more nuanced, and more central to the show, over the years.

“I think it has kept the passion alive for me,” said Amy Whitcomb, who plays Florence. “I don’t think I’ve ever really been able to totally relax into the role.”

Whitcomb described Florence as The Hulk of “Deep Love,” prone to severe, transformative mood swings. But Florence’s anger is complex. That speaks to how “Deep Love” has refined the broad strokes in which it was originally written. And, from the looks of it, things will continue to change: Hayes and Sherwood are stepping back from the production after this year, meaning the play’s future will largely be in others’ hands. That doesn’t mean “Deep Love” is stopping, though. The “Deep Love” crew wants to keep expanding, while retaining what has always been at the heart of the show.

“Fundamentally, our show is a rock ’n’ roll concert,” Hayes said. “And yeah, we can adapt it, but the way it came together was just raw, rock ’n’ roll, friends getting together, no money involved. Grassroots stuff, you know? And you don’t need money to pull off something amazing.” - Daily Herald

NEW YORK — There's not much to do in eastern Idaho in the winter. It's freezing, windy and depressing. Why not create a musical?

Stay-inside weather — plus a healthy dose of heartache — helped spark the creation in 2009 of "Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera." Six years later it arrives in steamy on 42nd Street in New York City, a snowball's throw from Broadway.

The show is the creation of Garrett Sherwood, Ryan J. Hayes and Jon Peter Lewis, three artistic guys with little musical theater experience who shaped and grew it into one of the highlights of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The show's first real production was in Lewis' living room in 2010 for a handful of friends. He used Christmas lights to mark off the stage and filled bowls with dry ice to make fog.

"I remember the dry ice was hissing and popping during the performance," he said. "It's been a kind of learn-as-you-go type of thing."

The show will be among 52 live events at the festival, including 22 full musicals. It runs from Tuesday to July 27 at six venues in the city and all tickets are below $30.

Since launching in 2004, the festival has premiered more than 300 new musicals, some of which have gone on to a further life on or off Broadway, such as "Altar Boyz," ''title of show" and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Next to Normal."

The festival — known by its initials NYMF — provides shows with theater space, lights, sound equipment, front-of-house staffing and marketing — all key to emerging artists trying to mount resource-heavy musicals in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The offerings this year are typically eclectic. There's one about a pope, a second that deals with illegal immigration and one about the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan ice skating fiasco.

Dan Markey, executive director of NYMF, said the number of submissions has gone up every year and this year attracted some 245 hopefuls from composers as far away as Utah and Atlanta.

"The net is wider the pipeline is expanding," he said. "More and more people want to do it either at the beginning of their career or at the end of their career."

The festival is the perfect place for the four-person cast of "Deep Love" to find some love, said Lewis, a finalist on "American Idol" who also got to the knockout round on "The Voice" with Hayes as the folk duo Midas Whale.

He hopes some of his TV fans will check out his new project: "I stayed long enough on both shows for people to kind of know me — to remain a Z-list celebrity," he said, laughing.

The show, featuring some crispy rock and soulful folk, is about love and loss set in a 1880s graveyard. The audience is encouraged to attend in funeral attire. It stars Amy Whitcomb who was on "The Voice," too.

Hayes and Sherwood, who both endured difficult breakups in the winter of 2009, wrote the songs. "Rather than going out and getting wasted, they wrote a rock opera about it," said Lewis.

Lewis helped write the story, co-directs and stars in the show. He even worked as a lighting technician for four months just to learn all the names of the theater lights.

The creative team has spent years working on the show, helping it grow from that first living room performance to one in a sold-out 1,100-seat abandoned church, to a multi-city tour.

Five dancers have been added to help tell the story, while the band has been reduced from 30 to seven. Getting it shown in New York took a lot of work but now it can shine.

"We wanted to get on the radar of people who are in the business," Lewis said. "We have something that's working elsewhere but no one really knows about us outside our little region." - The New York Times

Deep Love Rock Opera reviews and quotes July 2015

1. New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/theater/review-new-york-musical-theater-festival-includes-deep-love-and-pope.html?_r=0

“… polished show with pop ambitions.”

“… very well sung…

“…elegantly simple set…”



2. Theater Mania
http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/nymf-2015-deep-love-and-held-momentarily_73654.html

“The entire affair is sung-through by a very talented cast.”

‘The irrepressibly fierce Whitcomb sings like the genetic
offspring of Pat Benatar and a valkyrie.

“Sherwood possesses a macho rocker growl, Lewis a terrifying
wail.”

“…hot band of rockers in skeleton masks … saxophonist Candido
Abeyta gives a particularly impressive performance.”

“ … lyrical choreography”



3. Broadway World
http://www.broadwayworld.com/nymf/article/BWW-Reviews-Ghostly-Rock-Opera-DEEP-LOVE-More-Concert-Than-Drama-20150725

“Lewis squeezes intimidating tension out of his tenor and Stone
slowly takes Constance on a descent into madness.”

“Choreographer Ray Mercer’s ghostly ensemble of ballet dancers
greatly embellish the erotic-gothic tone…”

“The on-stage rock band sounds great under music director Ben
Mathews.”



4. Talking Broadway
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/7_19_15NYMFa.html

“conceptually fascinating”

“Old Bones is a compelling character…”

“Lewis wields his voice as a violent caress…”

“Amy Whitcomb wailing to the rafters…”

“Whitcomb gives you something you can’t get at The Phantom of
The Opera or anywhere else…”


5. Theater Scene
http://www.theaterscene.net/musicals/deep-love/darryl-reilly/

“The music is a credible sounding rock amalgam of the likes of
Queen, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, with Roxy Music flourishes.
The lyrics are skillfully complementary.”

“…excellent musicians led by music director and arranger Ben
Mathews.”

“The ever-present backdrop is a fantastic Tim Burton-style
miniature collage…”

“…dazzling scenic elements…”

“Mr. Lewis appears as Old Bones exhibiting great presence and
has a commanding voice.”

“ ..a raspy voice and a rock star charisma in the vein of Steven
Tyler, Mr. Sherwood is very fitting as Friedrich.”

“Melanie Stone is wonderfully sweet and stalwart as Constance.”

“Emitting old-time villainous Hollywood glamor Amy Whitcomb
robustly scores as the meddlesome Florence.”



6. Time Square Chronicles
http://t2conline.com/nymf-deep-love-a-ghostly-rock-opera-stars-reality-tv-stars/

“Amy Whitcomb knocks the score out of the park”

“The seven piece band rocks the house off.”

“Miss Whitcomb has one of the best rock voices I have heard in a
long time”



7.Offbway
http://www.eljnyc.com/Offbway.html

“Garrett Sherwood and Ryan Hayes have created passionate and
haunting music and emotional lyrics that produce some of the
most heartfelt love songs ever.

“Music styles from impressive band in skeletal masks, vary from
Gregorian Chant/Pop Rock to hot and steamy jazz, and there are
some very interesting guitar arrangements.”

“The raspy (and oh so sexy) voices of Lewis and Sherwood and
the multi-octave sopranos of Whitcomb and Stone give these
songs a spine-tingling effect.”

“… ballet/modern choreography sublimely executed…”

“There’s a ton of talent on the stage – from conception to
collaboration to performance.”

“It’s all working in DEEP LOVE making this one of the best
offerings of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.” - Various

Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera Behind The Scenes. We take you backstage of the Halloween classic show, Deep Love! Meet the talented cast and find out how the show grew into the production it is today! - Chloe Johnson

American Idol season-three alum Jon Peter Lewis will be spending the summer in Manhattan, as his musical, Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, has been chosen from hundreds of candidates to be one of 10 shows produced for the New York Musical Theatre Festival's "Next Link Project" in July.

Lewis wrote the book for Deep Love with Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood, and has directed multiple productions. Lewis and Hayes, who competed on season four of The Voice in 2013 as the duo Midas Whale, star in the show, with another competitor from The Voice, Amy Whitcomb.

The festival has been an incubator for hit shows, with three productions graduating to Broadway: Next to Normal, [title of show] and Chaplin. Some 24 festival finalists have been produced off-Broadway, including Altar Boyz, The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Fat Camp.

"For the last five years, we've been workshopping the show," Lewis tells Billboard. "It evolves every year. We take the lessons learned from each production, and apply them to the following run." The Idol finalist, who says he is passionate about music as well as storytelling, explains that the festival production will add "some dynamic choreography and dancing."

Hoping that this new production "will put us on the radar with some of the more influential people in the commercial theater community," Lewis tells Billboard what lies ahead: "We have to put on a show in New York from top to bottom. We have to handle all of the logistics, including casting and all aspects of production."

While heavily involved in Deep Love, Lewis is not ignoring his recording career. Two weeks ago, he released a new EP, roughcuts. The six-song set includes some material he has been "sitting on for years," along with new songs. "They are in their roughest and rawest forms, like first drafts out of my brain. It's likely that some will be recorded again in different versions and some may end up as Midas Whale songs. Others will remain in their rough and raw state." roughcuts is a digital-only release, available on iTunes. - Billboard

City Pulse
The New York Musical Theatre Festival Runs Thru July 27
By PK Greenfield

nympflogo

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is off and running this month thru July 27; there are many stage productions in the making that have the potential of becoming blockbusters, SROs and sold-out tickets on the Great White Way as well as national and international tours.

This festival has an incomparable history for many shows that have garnered Tony Awards, Pulitzers and other accolades for performance, production and writing such as: title of show, Next to Normal, Alter Boys, Chaplin, Bedbugs and Clinton The Musical, just to name a few. It’s the Ziegfeld of possibilities.

There are over twenty musicals in the series this year and they take place around the theatre district at venues like PTC Performance Space, The Griffin Theatre, The Laurie Beechman Theatre and Theatre 3.

Our recommendations this year are two original productions: Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera and Manuel Versus The Statue of Liberty.

Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera has a cult following in the Midwest and now haunts and rocks the stage at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center on 42nd Street.

The story is set outside a cemetery in anywhere, rural countryside U.S.A. and brings to life a rock opera much like a New Orleans’ funeral march meets “Rock of Ages”. It’s about love, loss and betrayal between four characters: Florence, Friedrich, Constance and Old Bones — some living, one not so much.

This is the morbid creation of songwriters Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood. The book is by Jon Peter Lewis (American Idol and The Voice).

“I met Garret and Ryan at an open mic night in college and they were writing songs in Idaho and we became friends, the story was influenced by a few un-named ex-girlfriends,” said Jon Peter Lewis. It started in my living room with a string of Christmas lights. It’s been a work in progress for over five years and has grown into a full production and this festival is helping us make it better,” said Mr. Lewis.

In October there will be a string of performances in the Pacific North West.

The cast includes: Amy Whitcomb (The Voice), Melanie Stone and dancers, Nicole Adjeleian, Adam Di Loreto, Pia Hamilton, Matthew Ortner and Sarah Roberts. This staging includes a frighteningly fabulous band. - City Pulse

Special Preview of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival Included in the lineup at the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival is headliner Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, written by and featuring Jon Peter Lewis, who competed on both "American Idol" and "The Voice" TV shows. The festival kicks off July 7 in various locations throughout the city, running through July 27. Here's a look at the special preview that was held on July 1. - See more at: http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/special-preview-of-the-2015-new-york-musical-theatre-festival-352580#27 - Playbill

Video:http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/watch/jon-peter-lewis-branches-out-to-broadway/vi-AAcXMFu - MSN

Stage » “Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera” and “Single Wide” will be presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
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Of the 22 shows selected out of more than 400 applications for this year's New York Musical Theatre Festival, two have Utah ties.

"Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera" features Salt Lake City resident and "American Idol" finalist Jon Peter Lewis, while "Single Wide" was written Brigham Young University professor George Nelson.

The shows premiere Friday at different venues; both are scheduled to run five times during the two-week festival, which nurtures the creation of new works.

—

Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera » "Deep Love" was "a labor of love," Lewis said, and five years ago when authors and producers Garrett Sherwood and Ryan Hayes, his college buddies at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, pitched him the project, he never dreamed the show would go this far.

"We put on our very first performance in my living room," said Lewis, a cast member, producer and stage director for the show. "We had Christmas lights that make a stage, and we had popcorn bowls with dry ice to try to make fog. It was just kind of a fun little thing."

The rock opera tells of love beyond the grave. Constance meets Friedrich and they fall in love, even though she's still haunted by the memory of her deceased husband — known as Old Bones — and Friedrich is tormented by memories of his ex-love, Florence.

The show was originally performed last year in Salt Lake City, where Lewis is now based.

With the trio's limited experience in musical theater, Lewis said the process of how the show has grown has been "nontraditional," in a sense they've approached growing its audience "the same way you would grow a band."

But that hasn't stopped the show from expanding.

"This show is about love and loss. It's a tragedy," Lewis said. "A person can walk away with their own conclusions. … You get to discover whose love is deep and what that means."

Lewis said all but two dancers in the cast come from the original Utah production. They plan on returning for a performance in Utah in October.

—

Single Wide » "Single Wide" deals with the concept of people who "can't catch a break" in life, said Nelson, a playwriting professor at BYU who developed the idea for the country-rock musical as a family member was going through a divorce.

"It made me think about people who get trashed, used up and thrown away," he said. "They're good people, but bad things happened to them."

Originally titled "Trailer Trash," the story follows a third-generation trailer-dwelling woman who wants to build a better life.

Nelson said after he wrote the script, he contacted BYU music student Jordan Kamalu to write songs.

Kamalu said finding time to write was difficult. "At the same time as I was writing the bulk of the music for this show, I was also a full-time student and also gigging on the weekends and running my own private studio for piano lessons." - Salt Lake Tribune

New Musical By "American Idol" Finalist Among This Year's New York Musical Theatre Festival Selections
By Michael Gioia
24 Feb 2015

The 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) announced the selections for the 2015 Next Link Project, including a piece written by "American Idol" finalist Jon Peter Lewis and his band mate, Ryan Hayes of "The Voice."

The 10 musicals, and three initial invited productions, were announced as part of the 12th edition of the festival, which will take place in July at locations around midtown Manhattan in New York City.

The Next Link Project is open to any writer, produced or unproduced, with or without agency representation. The program receives hundreds of submissions from all over the world each fall, and every script and demo recording is reviewed by numerous members of NYMF's Reading Committee and then by a Grand Jury of musical theatre artists and producers.

This year's Grand Jury included Tony Award-winning actor Michael Cerveris, Drama Desk Award-winning actress Donna Lynne Champlin, Tony Award-winning producer Jane Dubin, Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated actor Hunter Foster, Isaac Robert Hurwitz (creative director, Fox Stage Productions), Joe Machota (CAA agent), Jonathan McCrory (director of theatre arts program at The National Black Theatre), Tony Award-winning actor Billy Porter, director and choreographer Josh Prince, Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated actor and writer Tony Sheldon and Motown director Charles Randolph-Wright.

Dan Markley is NYMF's executive director and producer, and Jen Bender is the director of programming and artist services.

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The selected Next Link Project show teams will gather for the first time Feb. 28-March 1 to begin preparing. Industry professionals who are interested in working on NYMF 2015 shows are encouraged to attend the NYMF 2015 Networking Party Feb. 28 from 6:30-8:30 PM at Hurley's Saloon (232 West 48 St.). For more information and to RSVP, visit the Facebook invite.
The Next Link Project selections follow:

210 Amlent Avenue
Book by Becky Goldberg
Music and lyrics by Karl Hinze

"Some family secrets shouldn't come out. Welcome to the Hamptons. Guests are gathering in the summer sun at 210 Amlent Avenue, a regal beachfront property, to visit retired actress Mrs. Jordan, and to pay their respects to her recently-deceased husband, the famous Broadway director. Everything changes when Judah, a young friend of the family, shows up seeking answers about his own dead parents. Attractions form, schemes intersect, secrets are revealed, and no one will get away unchanged."

Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera
Music and lyrics by Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood
Book by Jon Peter Lewis, Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood

"How lovers become adversaries. Funeral attire recommended. Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera is a story of love, loss and indecision where sweethearts become adversaries in pursuit of what they cannot live without. Told entirely through continuous, haunting rock and roll, Deep Love features Jon Peter Lewis from American Idol, his bandmate from The Voice Ryan Hayes (of the group Midas Whale) and Amy Whitcomb from The Voice and The Sing-Off. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, it promises to delight all ages. Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in their best funeral attire." - Playbill

NYMF Sets 2015 Lineup: Works from THE VOICE Alums, Developmental Reading Series & More

February 25
2:00 PM
2015
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- Broadway World

SALT LAKE CITY — In 2010, Garrett Sherwood and Ryan Hayes first performed their rock opera “Deep Love” in front of about 30 people at a small cafe in Rexburg, Idaho.

Five years later, the “full-length theatrical production told completely through song” will be performed at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in July, according to Sherwood.

A “ghostly” production performed annually around Halloween, “Deep Love” started small, but has steadily gained a following throughout Idaho and Utah, co-writer Sherwood said.

The rock opera follows the story of a young widow named Constance who is mourning the loss of her husband. Her late husband, christened ‘Old Bones’ in his ghostly form, expresses jealousy beyond the grave when Constance finds a new lover in a man named Friedrich, whose ex-lover Florence also gets tangled in the mess.

“We make it a little bigger and better every year, we just tweak things and our fan base gets bigger,” Sherwood, who plays Friedrich, said. “We have really great and loyal fans.”

Jon Peter Lewis, a former contestant on “American Idol” and NBC’s “The Voice,” where he sang alongside Hayes, plays Old Bones in “Deep Love” and is the producer and stage director of the show.

Enlarge image
Photo: David Epps
Amy Whitcomb, who was also on NBC’s “The Voice,” plays Friedrich’s jealous ex-lover, Florence, and Provo native Melanie Stone plays Constance.

“It’s a bunch of fun to have such talented people involved,” Sherwood said.

After Sherwood, Hayes and Lewis performed the rock opera for the first time, they “knew (they) had something really good and wanted to take it places,” Sherwood said.

The artists took their production from Rexburg to Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City, where they are now based. “Deep Love” has been performed at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center a few times, Sherwood said.

“Deep Love” was featured at the Arts Northwest festival in Eugene, Oregon, last fall, so the creators decided to continue applying for festivals to try to glean a national audience.

An award-winning festival, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, received more than 400 applications for this summer’s event, and “Deep Love” was chosen as one of the 10 finalists, Sherwood said.

“They’ve had shows that have been one of these featured shows and within six months were on Broadway. So that’s sort of like the best we can hope for,” Sherwood said of the festival. “At the very least, we’re going to be performing for producers and agencies in New York. We’re going to get in front of a national audience and we’re basically hoping to expand what we do next year.”

“Deep Love” will be performed in New York City for an entire week in July. The dates are yet to be determined. - KSL.COM MARCH 4 2015

American Idol contestant Jon Peter Lewis is the author of Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, part of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.
American Idol contestant Jon Peter Lewis is the author of Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, part of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.
The 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival has announced several productions that will take part in the 12th edition of the event in July. - TheaterMania

I'm usually not the kind of person who enjoys Halloween. You can call me a Halloween-Scrooge, as I bah-humbug everyone in costume and stick my nose up at carved pumpkins. I could definitely go for some gruesome gore, witchcraft, or horror and other fear-fueled nonsense anytime, but I'm really not interested in scarecrows or zombies. What initially sold me on the performance of Deep Love was the promise that this show would be an unconventional Halloween experience. With the recommendation to wear funeral attire, I felt it appropriate to give some holiday cheer a go, and decided to attend this rock opera based around a cemetery theme. Before the entertainment began, producers Ryan Hayes and Garrett Sherwood started with a brief disclaimer for the audience, informing us to react to the performance as you would a rock concert. Since most of us probably did not know what to expect from the show, this proved to be efficient in getting the crowd to appropriately respond with cheers, whoops and whistles throughout the evening.



I’ve never been to a rock opera before, and the likes of Deep Love is something that I'd really dig to see more. What the cast did was combine elements of a rock concert with a theatrical plot, while maintaining a classical structure of an opera. The line gets blurred between it feeling more like a concert versus feeling like an opera, and the cast pretty delicately and skillfully balances elements of both. Each song had aspects of a slew of genres, including blues, jazz, classic rock, folk and, of course, opera. I've been to a lot of folk shows before where I felt like the concert was super cheesy and would be more appropriate as a play, so it was pretty cool to see someone go with that idea and fully embrace the pairing of the two mediums. I'd way rather sit through a narrative over a band doing some awkward performance over a hesitant crowd. To me, it felt like they were embracing the cliché of that kind of a folk show with arms wide open, and because of this unabashed acceptance of stereotypical and predictable plots, instead of being trite, the program had a hint of irony.

Whether this irony was intended or not—I am not entirely sure—but the plot was pretty corny. Here's the gist (*spoiler alert*): Constance, the leading lady, is mourning the recent departure of her love, Old Bones, who vows to watch over and protect her from the grave. Then some hunk named Friedrich Cat calls her, they fall in love, and Constance, all starry eyed, forgets about Old Bones. Old Bones gets pissed, as well as Friedrich's ex, Florence, who knows his shady past. The Second Act is all about the conflicting feelings Constance feels as her dead ex threatens her and Friedrich for breaking their vows, eventually leading Friedrich to suicide. As Constance battles guilt and vengeance from Florence, she eventually kills her and then buries herself.

Predictable as the ending was, and how annoying as the heroine's inner discord felt throughout the narrative notwithstanding, the cast was chock-full of talent. The folks successfully combined the recitatives with an aria sung by all of the four main characters, all who equally belted out their money notes. That with the coupling of the mini-orchestra/large-band made for a standard operatic experience (in a not-so-standard way, of course). My favorite part was definitely the inclusion of the saxophone, smoothly performed by Shaun Scrivner, which I wish I could've seen more of! I'd definitely be interested in seeing what else these two produce in the future, especially with the hopes that they direct a more interesting, perhaps less predictable narrative. - SLUG MAGAZINE BY BRINLEY FROELICH

After The Voice
The guys from Midas Whale are back with a ghostly rock opera
July 15, 2015 By Mark Franklin 0 29

Amy Whitcomb and Garrett Sherwood in Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera.

Amy Whitcomb and Garrett Sherwood in Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera.
Remember Midas Whale on The Voice, the most successful duo ever to appear on the show other than The Swon Brothers.

Well, that duo — Ryan Hayes and Jon Peter Lewis — is in New York this summer, preparing for five performances of a play they helped create called “Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera.”

It was one of 22 musicals selected from about 245 applicants for spots in the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The festival runs is already underway and runs through July 27. “Deep Love” will premiere on Friday, with four more showings planned before the festival ends.

Jon Peter Lewis, also a former contestant on American Idol, told The Associated Press that Garrett Sherwood and Hayes wrote the music in 2009, after both had gone through bad breakups.

“Rather than going out and getting wasted, they wrote a rock opera about it,” said Lewis.

Then Jon Peter helped write the story, about love and loss set in an 1880s graveyard. According to the play’s website, the audience is encouraged to attend wearing funeral attire.

Jon Peter has a part in the play as Old Bones. So does another former Voice contestant, Amy Whitcomb; she plays the role of Florence.

Tickets for the New York shows are $29.50. You can check out the schedule and more about the New York Theatre Festival here.

As for Deep Love, here’s a link to the website. You can listen to and purchase all the music here.

Jon Peter says the play was first performed in his living room in Idaho in 2010 and that it’s since gained an enthusiastic following in that region.

“We wanted to get on the radar of people who are in the business,” Lewis told AP about “Deep Love’s” New York debut. “We have something that’s working elsewhere but no one really knows about us outside our little region.”

Here’s a trailer for the show. - Idol Chatter

Interviews by Call Me Adam: Jon Peter Lewis, Ryan Hayes, and Garrett Sherwood
by BwaySpotted

Call me adamIn his second NYMFerview, “Call Me Adam” chats with American Idol’s Jon Peter Lewis, The Voice’s Ryan Hayes, and Garrett Sherwood, the creatives behind Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera which will be making it’s NYMF debut this July as part of their “Next Link Project” July 17-24! Click here for tickets!

For more on Deep Love be sure to visit http://www.deeploveopera.com and follow the show on Facebook, Twitter,YouTube, and Instagram!

For more on NYMF be sure to visit http://nymf.org and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

For more from Call Me Adam, check out his site HERE.

unnamed1. This summer, your musical Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera is part of NYMF’s Next Link Project series which includes a run of the show during the festival. Out of the hundreds of submissions received, your show was just 1 of 10 to be selected as part of this series. What went through your minds when you found out Deep Love was selected? What does it mean to you to be part of NYMF 2015?

Jon Peter Lewis: I reenacted the entire movie of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…in my mind. It was like I was at the front of the parade, on top of the float, doing my best John Lennon impression of “Twist and Shout” while the marching band was shaking their brass and random pedestrians became back up dancers. This show started in my living room five years ago and has grown so much. We never anticipated this opportunity and it’s an honor to be a part of NYMF 2015 and to perform in the heart of where musicals are made.

Ryan Hayes: I was beyond excited to learn that we had been selected for NYMF, though honestly I wasn’t truly aware that we had even submitted our script until Jon called me with the good news. I guess that’s what happens when you work with a good team; you get good surprises.

Garrett Sherwood: After doing Deep Love for four years, we had seen it grow and grow. We had big dreams about how far this show could go, but we had yet to have that moment when we could clearly see an opportunity to achieve our ultimate goals. We always knew the show had great potential, so it was always just a matter of getting it in front of the right people. When we found out that we were selected as a Next Link Project for NYMF, it was like the clouds lifted and I finally had that “moment,” I could see that this was the big opportunity we had been hoping for.

2. Why did you apply for NYMF’s Next Link Project as opposed to trying to get this show into one of the other theatre festivals in NYC?unnamed

Jon Peter Lewis: Truthfully, I didn’t know of any other festivals.

Ryan Hayes: On matters of networking and industry I often defer to Jon or Garrett’s judgment on the best route to take. If they say it’s hot then it’s gotta be hot.

Garrett Sherwood: Honestly, I couldn’t name any of the other theatre festivals if I tried. At least for the part of Ryan and myself, we don’t exactly pay much attention to the goings ons of the theatre world outside our own little realm. Lucky we have Jon though for that exact reason. Last Fall we had just showcased at the Arts Northwest Festival in Eugene, Oregon, and we had a fairly positive experience. The week after Jon let me know that there was such a thing as NYMF, it was kind of a big deal, and the deadline was coming up, and we should really apply. So we did.

3. What has been the best part about this collaboration between the three of you?

Jon Peter Lewis: Ryan and Garrett are my closest friends. What more could I ask than to work at something I love with good company?

Ryan Hayes: Both Garrett and Jon can attest that collaboration has never been my strong suit. Even so, I have been humbled time and again at the craft that these two bring to the table on their own. I think that because we all respect each other’s creative privacy it provides greater contrast within the show, and collectively we appeal to a much wider audience than we would individually.

Garrett Sherwood: We are all very opinionated and stubborn. And while that leads to some arguments on some things, it actually provides an environment that is very conducive to quality creation. The best part about our collaboration is when one of the other members says something like “we really need to try this, trust me,” and you think “that’s a terrible idea, but what the hell, let’s try it,” and then it turns out they were right and you were wrong, and the production is better for it. We’ve had quite of few of those moments where one of us gets proved wrong by one of the other two cohorts, and it’s a wonderful thing.

unnamed-24. What do you hope audiences come away with after seeing Deep Love?

Jon Peter Lewis: I just hope they enjoy the music and have a good time.

Ryan Hayes: My hope is that the characters and melodies live on in the hearts and minds of our audience. There is a little of each character in all of us, I believe.

Garrett Sherwood: Every time we’ve performed Deep Love in the past, we have audience members who tell us that they “thought it would be good, but had no idea it would be that good.” And that’s what I hope for the future as well. I want the audience to leave feeling guilty for underestimating how much fun they were going to have at the theatre that night.

5. All three of you are musicians, so how did you decide that just Ryan and Garrett would write the music/lyrics, while all three of you wrote the book?

Jon Peter Lewis: I came into the project after Garrett and Ryan had written most of the music and lyrics. I helped them put the book together once we realized that we needed to expand the show a bit.

Ryan Hayes: The music and story of Deep Love has always been mine and Garrett’s domain because the show is our brainchild. We took Jon aboard when much of the music and story were already scripted. There was a critical moment, however, when I realized that the parts I had been writing for Old Bones were beyond my vocal capacity and that’s when Jon came on board (to save the day). As this little show began to build steam we brought Jon aboard to help develop the stage production and direction aspects.

Garrett Sherwood: Ryan and I wrote the music and lyrics back in 2010. We brought Jon on as a performer for the original performance after the show was already written. All of our roles in the production have adapted over the years, and for the last couple years Jon has been our stage director as well. As Deep Love is told completely through song (there is no spoken dialogue), we didn’t have a book until Jon volunteered to help put the book together for submission into NYMF. He obviously did a really good job.

6. Deep Love is about love, loss, and indecisions when lovers become adversaries. What has been your greatest love so far? What has been your greatest loss? When in your life have you had an indecisive moment?unnamed-1

Jon Peter Lewis: Ooooo, I don’t know if I want to get into my loves and losses. Lets just say that they have been both great and terrible. I experience extreme indecision every time I see a beautiful woman.

Ryan Hayes: My greatest love has been part music, part people. People inspire the music, and each new song changes who I am. My greatest loss has perhaps been the inevitable loss of time and my own youth. If I had a wish I would probably like to live it all over again once I reach the end.

Garrett Sherwood: My greatest love is my wife Brittany. My greatest loss is the countless amount of friends I’ve made, but whose friendships are reduced to Facebook, because I don’t ever see them. As far as indecision, how bout every time I open Netflix and I think “lemme just browse for something to watch.”

7. Who or what inspired you to become performers?

Jon Peter Lewis: The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Rogers & Hammerstein, and my dad.

Ryan Hayes: I think my inability to communicate well verbally has always been a motive to present a thought carefully through song.

Garrett Sherwood: When I was in 9th grade I was signed up for High School Football. I went the first day of practice and immediately realized that my youth was too short to be doing something that required wearing protective gear all over my body. I left practice after 5 minutes and started learning to play the guitar that same day.

unnamed-38. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Jon Peter Lewis: ”It’ll all work out” – everyone

Ryan Hayes: ”Don’t mess with Mr. In-between”

Garrett Sherwood: Also when I was in the 9th grade (I guess that was a really formative year for me), I was in gym class and we were playing volleyball that day. I was put on a team with a bunch of burnouts. The game started and I began to play as competitively as my uncoordinated 14-year old body would allow. But just then, one of my teammates, a senior with a 2-foot-high green mohawk grabbed my shoulder and said, “Dude. Less is more.” That changed my life. True story.

9. If you could have any super power, which one would you choose?

Jon Peter Lewis: Peter Petrelli from the first season ofHeroes had the best super power ever. He could absorb everyone’s super power. I want that. Except, I’d have to be less lame than he was. But, maybe that’s what comes with being all-powerful. I should probably re-think this.

Ryan Hayes: I would like the ability to time travel.

Garrett Sherwood: The introvert in me wants to say invisibility, but truth is I really just want to fly. Don’t we all?

10. If you could create your own signature drink, what would you call it and what ingredients would you put in it?

Jon Peter Lewis: It’s called the “Shawn-T” because it seems like the only exotic thing I drink ever since I did that “Insanity” program last year. Frozen bananas, dates soaked in coconut water, flax seed, vanilla extract, and almond milk.

Ryan Hayes: I call it the “Snake Bite”: 1 part cream, 2 parts Coca Cola, 1 part rattlesnake venom. Sure to knock your socks off.

Garrett Sherwood: It would be called the Giblet Wiggler. Basically it would just be normal Mountain Dew, but served in an aluminum cup that has some electricity attached to it (not enough to really hurt you, just enough to make it really tingle).

BONUS QUESTIONS:unnamed-7

11a. For Jon: You were on American Idol and The Voice. What was the best part about being on these competition shows? What did you learn from your time on there? The best part about being on TV was the free stuff. It was weird, people started just giving me things because I was famous. I remember once I took my friend to the dentist and while I was waiting for her in the lobby, the dentist walked by and recognized me. He offered me a free consultation and fillings in exchange for my picture on the wall. How could I say no?

American Idol and The Voice taught me that TV stars have TV shows and music stars have hit songs. Neither will give you that, so it’s best to take what you can and enjoy it while it lasts. Being on TV is fun.

11b. For Ryan: When not working on your music, you are a geologist. How do you feel your geology life has helped your musical life and vice versa? What did you enjoy most about being on The Voice? What did you learn from being on the show? I think it’s a blessing to work in the sciences. I am a very right brained person and it truly helps to inspire creative fury having a balance of left-brained activity. I was very excited to work on The Voice primarily because I got to know many of the contestants who have become dear friends. Through the overall experience I have come to understand more plainly that what you see on TV is not always the truth about people or reality.

11c. For Garrett: You are a musician, yoga instructor, author, and poet. How do you feel all these avenues compliment each other? If you had to stop all of these but one, could you choose one you would do exclusively? I would write music. Even though life has gotten so busy lately that I don’t seem to write that many songs anymore, it’s still the one thing that I always feel ambitious about, always have dreams about, and always feel like there is more to say and more to express.

More on Jon:unnamed-4Jon is a celebrated musician who was a finalist on American Idol and competed on The Voice with Ryan Hayes as the folk duo Midas Whale. Jon met Ryan and Garrett in 2009 at an open mic in Rexburg, Idaho and joined in the collaboration of Deep Love. Jon’s discography includes 3 solo albums and the folk duo’s most recent release, Sugar House. For more on Jon visit www.jonpeterlewis.com.

More on Ryan:unnamed-5As a contestant on Season 4 ofThe Voice, Ryan Hayes is a true son of the American West. He thrives on the excitement of discovery, which has led him to travel the world and become a student of many disciplines. Whilst he works professionally as a geologist, he is increasingly enchanted by the humanities and works most passionately as a songwriter. As part of the folk duo Midas Whale, Ryan released an album in 2014, titled Sugar House.

Garrett Sherwood, a native of Chicago Illinois, is a graduate of Political Science but his passions have led him to a life of diverse ambitions. He is a working musician, certified yoga instructor, as well as a published author and performer of poetry. - Broadway Spotted

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Deep Love Opera, LLC present

DEEP LOVE
www.DeepLoveOpera.com
Book, Music, Lyrics by GARRET SHERWOOD
Book, Music, Lyrics by RYAN HAYES
Book by JON PETER LEWIS

Starring

GARRETT SHERWOOD, JON PETER LEWIS, AMY WHITCOMB, MELANIE STONE
NICOLE ADFELEIAN, ADAM DiLORETO, PIA HAMILTON, MATTHEW ORTNER, SARAH DANELLE ROBERTS

Musicians
BEN MATHEWS (Electric Guitar); RYAN HAYES (Acoustic Guitar/Accordian); FORD THUNDER ERICKSON (Guitar); ALEX FISHER (Drums); ANDREW PINCOCK (Bass); CANDIDO ABETYA (Saxophone/Clarinet); AUSTIN KALINOWSKI (Keyboard)

Directed by MICHAEL RADER and JON PETER LEWIS
Choreographer: RAY MERCER
Music Director/Arrangements: BEN MATHEWS
Scenic Design: DAVID GOLDSTEIN
Lighting Design: BRADEN HOWARD
Sound Design: MATT SEARLE
Costume Design: BREE PERRY
Make-up Design: ARIEL LaFONTAINE
Publicity: JT PUBLIC RELATIONS
General Management: YOUR THEATRICS INTERNATIONAL
Production Stage Manager: CJ LaROCHE

The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square
480 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
07/17 @ 8 PM; 07/18 @ 9 PM; 07/19 @ 4 PM; 07/22 @ 1 PM; 07/24 @ 5 PM

DEEP LOVE: A Ghostly Rock Opera is an intense love story. Constance (Melanie Stone) pledged her love to Old Bones (Jon Peter Lewis) upon his demise. It was quite likely a promise she intended to keep but then she met Friedrich (Garrett Sherwood). This newly-formed love connection neither pleases Old Bones nor Florence (Amy Whitcomb), Friedrich’s mistress. A story line that involves love and its many risks and consequences ensues. But this is not your basic love story.

Garrett Sherwood and Ryan Hayes have created passionate and haunting music and emotional lyrics that produce some of the most heartfelt love songs ever. The music styles, performed by an impressive band in skeletal masks, vary from Gregorian Chant/Pop Rock to hot and steamy jazz, and there are some very interesting guitar arrangements. The raspy (and oh so sexy) voices of Lewis and Sherwood and the multi-octave sopranos of Whitcomb and Stone give these songs a spine-tingling effect. The story is enhanced with ballet/modern choreography sublimely executed by Nicole Adfeleian, Adam DiLoreto, Pia Hamilton, Matthew Ortner, and Sarah Danelle Roberts. There’s a ton of talent on the stage – from conception to collaboration to performance. It’s all working in DEEP LOVE making this one of the best offerings of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

- Laurie Lawson - - Offbway

Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, now receiving a handsomely designed mounting at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, began life as a rock concert with a plot, created by three fellows in the music industry with, according to their bios, little or no experience in musical theatre. As a concert, their two-act show is a spirited display of hard-driving goth rock, but as musical theatre, the generic lyrics and muddy storytelling leave much to be desired.

Co-bookwriter, co-director Jon Peter Lewis, plays Old Bones, who, despite being dead, remains faithful to his vow of undying love for his widow Constance (Melanie Stone). Constance considers suicide until she falls for lumberjack Friedrich (bookwriter/composer/lyricist Garrett Sherwood) who is still being stalked by his ex, (Amy Whitcomb) Florence.

(Non-actor Ryan J. Hayes collaborates on the book, music and lyrics and Michael Rader, who does have a healthy collection of theatre credits, co-directs.)
BWW Reviews: Ghostly Rock Opera DEEP LOVE More Concert Than Drama
Jon Peter Lewis, Garrett Sherwood,
Melanie Stone and Company (Photo: Jeremy Daniel)

Jealousy and revenge serve as excuses for a lot of passionate belting but there is so little character development and so few dramatic specifics that the evening adds up to little more than a vocal showcase. Fortunately, that's where the company excels. Lewis, sporting extensive skeletal makeup by Ariel LaFontaine, squeezes intimidating tension out of his tenor and Stone slowly takes Constance on a descent into madness. Gravel-voiced Sherwood is expressionless as an actor, but Whitcomb helps fill the void with high-energy charisma.

Choreographer Ray Mercer's ghostly ensemble of ballet dancers greatly embellish the erotic-gothic tone, as do the designs by Bree Perry (costumes), Braden Howard (lights) and David Goldstein (set). The on-stage rock band sounds great under music director Ben Mathews, but Deep Love needs some deeper writing to breathe some life into it. - Broadway World

NYMF 2015: Deep Love and Held Momentarily

This is TheaterMania's fourth review roundup of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Hayley Levitt, Zachary Stewart • New York City • Jul 27, 2015
Jon Peter Lewis and Melanie Stone star in Lewis and Garret Sherwood's Deep Love, directed by Lewis and Michael Rader, for NYMF at The Pershing Square Signature Center.Jon Peter Lewis and Melanie Stone star in Lewis and Garret Sherwood's Deep Love, directed by Lewis and Michael Rader, for NYMF at the Pershing Square Signature Center.
(© Jeremy Daniel)

Deep Love

By Zachary Stewart

The love expressed in this new musical by Garret Sherwood and American Idol contestant Jon Peter Lewis is not so much deep as it is psychotic. Still, the musical power undergirding this ludicrous show is insane enough to make that love plausible and even enjoyable.

Both composers star. Lewis plays Old Bones, the dead ex-boyfriend of Constance (Melanie Stone). Although deceased, he still demands complete fidelity, an unreasonable expectation Constance inevitably breaks when she comes across Friedrich (Sherwood), a sexy woodsman with flowing blond locks. Friedrich's lover Florence (The Voice contestant Amy Whitcomb) obviously objects, as does Old Bones. Broken hearts, musical emoting, and violence ensue.
Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera
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This paper-thin in-no-way-enlightening story really just serves as an excuse to exhibit Sherwood and Lewis' knack for rock and roll. The entire affair is sung-through by a very talented cast. The irrepressibly fierce Whitcomb sings like the genetic offspring of Pat Benatar and a valkyrie. Stone is appropriately mousy. Sherwood possesses a macho rocker growl, Louis a terrifying wail. They're all supported by a hot band of rockers in skeleton masks (saxophonist Candido Abeyta gives a particularly impressive performance).

Lewis codirects with Michael Rader, lending the mise-en-scène an Edward Gorey feel that also pays homage to rock opera. With full face paint and a flowing cape, Lewis looks like a skeletal Phantom of the Opera (vaguely Gothic costumes by Bree Perry). Five waifish shades menace the central players with Ray Mercer's lyrical choreography. The whole thing looks like an extended Jim Steinman music video.

Of course, this is exactly the aesthetic one would expect from the ultra-moody score and persistently banal lyrics. "If I'm to go to Hell in solitude, / You're going too, you know, you're going too," Friedrich sings, holding a knife to his arm and threatening to cut. If you have an inner 13-year-old Goth kid just itching to break free, Deep Love is the perfect opportunity to let him frolic among the tombstones. - TheaterMania

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Fresh off a New York debut, a Western U.S. Tour, and an invitation to the prestigious Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony, “Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera” is returning home to Utah and Idaho. Jon Peter Lewis and Ryan Hayes, who competed on “The Voice” as the folk duo Midas Whale, will star in their original theatrical production, “Deep Love,” deemed a “polished show with pop ambitions” by the New York Times, on Oct. 28 at the Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls, later performing at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City from Oct. 29. Amy Whitcomb, another alum from “The Voice,” takes on the role of the leading female star in this production.

“These are the two theaters that really gave us our start, back in 2011 and 2012,” says Garrett Sherwood, who co-wrote the opera along with Hayes, “We’re busy setting up big things for 2017, but we wanted to take the time to come home and play a couple shows for the fans who have been supporting us through the years.”

After being selected from among hundreds of candidates to feature at the New York Musical Theater Festival, and being heralded as “one of the best offerings of the [2015] Festival,” Sherwood and Hayes were offered a special invitation to further develop “Deep Love” by the prestigious Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony at the historic Goodspeed Theatre in Connecticut in early 2016. “This was a huge opportunity for us,” says Hayes, “We got to work with some of the most talented writers in the world of musical theatre. That opportunity really helped us make ‘Deep Love’ even better.”

“Deep Love” tells the tragic tale of a jealous lover's reach from beyond the grave. The stage production is perfect for the Halloween season, blending traditional folk melodies with bluesy American rock, making it a true a rock opera, as the entire story is told in song.

Jon Peter Lewis, who was an “American Idol” finalist before he competed on “The Voice,” stars in the lead role of the ghost Old Bones and is co-producer and director of the show. Talking Broadway gave high marks to his performance, saying, “Lewis wields his voice as a violent caress.” Broadway World chimed in with praise of its own, writing, “Lewis squeezes intimidating tension out of his tenor.”

Amy Whitcomb, who plays the role of Florence, a jealous ex-lover, has been singled out by more than one critic; Theater Mania gushed, “the irrepressibly fierce Whitcomb sings like the genetic offspring of Pat Benatar and a Valkyrie,” and Talking Broadway said, “Whitcomb gives you something you can’t get at ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ or anywhere else.” Theater Scene enthused, “Emitting old-time villainous Hollywood glamor, Amy Whitcomb robustly scores as the meddlesome Florence.”

Joining Lewis and Whitcomb on stage are Garrett Sherwood and Melanie Stone, who have also received their share of acclamations. Theater Scene said that Sherwood has, “a raspy voice and a rock star charisma in the vein of Steven Tyler” and that “Stone is wonderfully sweet and stalwart as Constance.”

For 2016 Deep Love is bringing back its entire lineup of talented musicians from 2015, whom were praised by the Times Square Chronicle, “The seven-piece band rocks the house off,” and by Broadway World, “The on-stage rock band sounds great under music director Ben Mathews.”

“Deep Love” opens at the Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls on Oct. 28, and moves to the Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City on Oct. 29. Tickets and additional information can be found at www.deeploveopera.com.

“Deep Love” is intended for all ages. Audience members are encouraged to wear their best funeral attire to the show.

More raves from reviewers for Deep Love:

Theater Mania: “The entire affair is sung-through by a very talented cast.”

Theater Scene: “The music is a credible sounding rock amalgam of the likes of Queen, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, with Roxy Music flourishes. The lyrics are skillfully complementary."

Off Bway: “Some of the most heartfelt love songs ever.”

Theater Scene: “Heavy on belting and vocal pyrotechnics.” - Standard Journal