| Synopsis Shakedown Street is the new musical/comedy set in San Francisco, circa 1941. Private Investigator Duke Bishop has been hired to foil a blackmail scheme involving a crooked judge and a lounge singer named Lucille Lovell. Quickly, Duke realizes that there is more than meets the eye when rumors of lost Spanish Mission artwork holds the clues as to the whereabouts of a fortune in missing Spanish gold believed lost in San Francisco Bay. This tongue-in-cheek trail to the treasure leads Duke through a tale of deception and murder set against high society parties, nightclubs, drunk-tanks and the boxing rings. Familiar and classic Grateful Dead tunes such as “Truckin’”, “Scarlet Begonias”, “US Blues”, and “Mission In The Rain” have been re-orchestrated and adapted to the luscious jazz-band sound of the period. The score also includes songs by Robert Hunter and Greg Anton composed directly for this musical. This is the only venue to see and hear the live performance of these never-heard tunes. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Is Shakedown Street a "Grateful Dead" musical? A: No it is not a Grateful Dead musical as in a musical about the band, or people who love the band, or experiences relating to the band and/or concerts. It is a Grateful Dead musical where most of the toe-tapping, dancing-in-the-aisle songs are beloved classics created, recorded, and performed by the band over their unparalleled 40 Year career. Shakedown Street uses the content of the songs to fit this specific story.
Q: Is Shakedown Street a revue? A: This is a completely new and original musical/comedy, in the great tradition of musical theatre. The songs are not separate from the play but rather drive the plot and emotional pathos, as any strong musical must.
Q: What is Shakedown Street about? A: Shakedown Street is the story, set in 1940's San Francisco, of a down-and-out private investigator whom finds himself in debt to a local thug and forced to take a shady assignment to foil a blackmail scheme involving a beautiful lounge singer and a power-hungry judge, all the while trying to come to terms with haunting memories of what his life could have been. The case takes a dramatic turn when it is learned that a fortune in Spanish gold may very well be hidden in the old Mission downtown. The twisting, turning tale leads our hero to discover that on Shakedown Street, "you just got to poke around."
Q: How are the songs used? A: The remarkable thing about these songs is that because they are so strongly rooted in American culture they fit the context of musical theatre every bit as well as they do Rock 'N Roll. We deconstruct these songs and get right down to the skeletal structure of the composition. From here the music has been re-orchestrated to fit within the musically dynamic 40's setting and serve the plot and movement of the play itself.
Q: Are there new songs too? A: Robert Hunter and Greg Anton (Zero, Greggs Eggs) have composed five new songs directly for the score. There is also a new Robert Hunter / Mickey Hart composition as well. This is a living contemporary musical collaboration that continues to evolve right up until the curtain rises August 13 @ 9:45 PM. |
