# Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (musical)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Taylor Mac. Based on John Berendt's 1994 non-fiction novel of the same name, it premiered on July 8, 2024, at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The musical follows an antiques dealer who is on trial for the murder of a male prostitute in Savannah, Georgia, U.S., based on the killing of Danny Hansford. A Broadway run has been announced for 2025.

## Development

In 2012, it was reported that producer Anne Hamburger had enlisted playwright Alfred Uhry to adapt Berendt's novel into a stage musical, which would make use of music from Johnny Mercer's catalogue. In 2013, Rob Ashford was attached to direct the production, which aimed for a tryout either in the U.S. or London in late 2014, with a Broadway debut eyed for the first half of 2015. A reading took place in 2014, with Tony Goldwyn, Leslie Uggams, and Jessica Molaskey leading the cast. The adaptation was then shelved.
In February 2023, it was announced that Brown and Mac would be involved in the development of the musical stage adaptation, with a reading held in May. The creators of the musical eventually realized that Mercer songs alone would not be able drive the story forward so Brown was brought in to write original musical numbers. Brown initially declined the first time he was approached, as he could not envision adapting it as a musical. In the musical, the audience plays the role of John Berendt, the author, and characters often break the fourth wall. Berendt was not involved with writing the musical's book, although he and Mac met a number of times for dinner, where he was able to discuss stories that were not included in the novel and events following its publication. The production team also visited Savannah numerous times to immerse themselves in the show's setting. In addition, a number of Savannahians, such as Stratton Leopold, were invited to readings and workshops to provide feedback on the script's authenticity. Williams's nieces, who manage Mercer House, were also consulted.

## Productions

The Chicago production ran from July 8 to August 11, 2024, at the Goodman Theatre, following previews that started on June 25 at the Albert Theatre. It was directed by Rob Ashford, choreographed by Tanya Birl-Torres, and starred J. Harrison Ghee as the Lady Chablis, Tom Hewitt as Jim Williams, and Sierra Boggess as Emma Dawes. The production had sets by Christopher Oram, costumes by Toni-Leslie James, lighting by Neil Austin & Jamie Platt, and sound design by Jon Weston.
In September 2024, it was announced that the production would debut on Broadway in 2025.

## Critical reception

The Chicago production received positive reviews, especially for Ghee's performance as Chablis. Variety's Steven Oxman praised Brown's "best score to date", as well as the performances of Ghee (as a "triple threat performer... at the top of their game") and Hewitt. Charles Isherwood of The Wall Street Journal also praised the performances of the cast but had some criticism for the problems resulting from the adaptation of a digressive novel for the stage. Benjamin Payne of Georgia Public Broadcasting praised Ghee's performance, as well as the set design, music, and choreography, with the biggest weak point noted as the absence of showing a 1980s jury in the Deep South deliberating on the verdict of a gay man on trial for murdering a bisexual man. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune noted Ghee's performance and Brown's score as the production's two strengths but noted the show's weakness was its lack of a credible conflict. Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times felt that Brown's score was not as strong as his work for The Bridges of Madison County, and felt that Ashford and Birl-Torres were "overall too timid in the splashier scenes", ultimately calling the show "as intriguing as it is unwieldy, and so close to working".