Maine State Music Theatre will collaborate with Portland Stage to present Dream: The Music of The Everly Brothers July 23-25 with shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Pickard Theater, 1 Bath Road, on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick.

The production is created by and features Broadway’s Ben Hope (Once) and Eric Scott Anthony (Ring of Fire) performing the music of the immensely popular American rock-n-roll duo. The Everly Brothers style of harmonizing and steel-string acoustic guitar influenced a generation of country rockers and made famous dozens of hits including “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” and “Cathy’s Clown.”

The show is the culmination of years of collaboration between Hope and Anthony, who have worked together on several musicals including Ring of Fire (Hope will star in and Anthony will music direct this season’s second co-production with Portland Stage, Ring of Fire).

“This is the music that got us where we are today,” said Hope about why he and Anthony wanted to create the concert, according to a news release from the theatre. “The Everly Brothers are a very important tile in the mosaic of musical history.”

With Hope’s roots in country and Anthony’s in rock-n-roll, the duo says their show sits at the junction of those musical genres. “We wanted to create this show to honor (The Everly Brothers) and tell the story of who they were and how their music affected the world,” said Hope.

Anthony hopes what they are bringing to stage will relate to fans of The Everly Brothers and be equally engaging for those who are new to them and explains, “We are not impersonating them. We are bringing their music to the audience as ourselves – as an homage to these amazing performers.”

Tickets cost $50-$60.

For tickets, or more information, visit msmt.org or call 207-725-8769.

Comments are not available on this story.

filed under: