“Bryan Robinson’s Way DEAD Upon the Suwannee River was already a page-turning compelling novel—filled with crime, mystery, unsolved murder, voodoo, and ghosts. Now, he’s adapted that intrigue to the stage in a bold new musical adaptation. I can’t wait to be in the audience for this unique blend of Southern Gothic storytelling and live theatre and music.”
Del Shores, writer/director of the motion pictures “Sordid Lives” and “Southern Baptist Sissies”
Plot Summary
Down in the sleepy town of Whitecross, Florida, the moss hangs heavy, and so do the secrets. Southern charm and religious values are currency, and townsfolk die of natural causes, not murder. Until now.
Psychologist, Einstein Brad Pope learns that nostalgia is a seductive liar when he comes back home to confront his past and settle a debt with his daddy and grandma. But what are his grandma and her Sisterfriends planting in the welcome garden on the outskirts of Whitecross: Camellias or corpses? Why is the local witch, Voodoo Sally, lurking in the swampy woods surrounding the great Suwannee River? And who killed All-American football hero and cave diver, Big Jake Nunn?
Find answers to all these questions in a dark descent into this campy musical romp about good versus evil, women’s empowerment, justice, and the power of love over judgment. We look forward to seeing you there! As Voodoo Sally always says, "Evol wanga obeah." You might not know what this means now, but you will after you see the show.
Main Characters
Brad Pope
35, Protagonist, psychologist coming back home to a foreign way of life.
Big Jake
The corpse. All-American football player turned professional cave diver.
Johnny DeVillers
A short description of this character. Just a few sentences just like this. I will need each little blurb.
Gigi Pope
Founding Sisterfriend of the Women’s Preservation Club. Brad’s grandmother, feisty and controlling. Not bent and grizzled but spry and youthful, strong and forceful.
Voodoo Sally
A wise herbal healer and protector of Whitecross. The town sees her as a witch, but she’s actually Mother Earth.
Myrtle Badger
Town gossipmonger;Christian hypocrite, vapid, and materialistic.
SHERIFF BOBBY-CY ABBOTT
Good ol’ boy, Whitecross’s sheriff, but smarter than he lets you think.
Supporting Characters
SMILEY BISHOP
Town mayor, suitor of Gigi Pope.
Bernie
Gay male beautician,owner of Bernie’s Hairport, loved by his women customers.
Preacher Black
The local pastor who has trouble practicing what he preaches, literally. Having an affair with Myrtle Badger.
Edna Black
Preacher Black's Wife.
Chris Cross
Brad’s love interest, flight attendant.
Sisterfriends
Gladys Nunn
Depressed Sisterfriend, sad, abused by husband, Big Jake.
Shirley Gilchrist
Neurotic Sisterfriend. Shoplifter and alcoholic, Wears an oversized hair bun top of her head for security.
Jackie Priester
Big breasted Sisterfriend, uses sexual innuendos to get attention.
The Town of Whitecross
Dive Deeper
Tucked along a bend of the Suwannee River, the town of Whitecross wears its Southern charm like a Sunday hat — sun-faded, sweet with magnolia and secrets. On the surface, it’s all front porches, church bells, and folks who wave whether they know you or not. But when night falls and the cicadas hush, the town hums with something older — something that seeps from the limestone and drifts through the cypress mist. In Whitecross, ghosts don’t rattle chains — they whisper through the moss, settle in the rafters, and remind folks that the past never really stays buried. It’s a place where kindness and menace share a front porch swing, and the Suwannee carries stories as dark and deep as its waters.