On one side is 22-year-old army vet Billy Cane (Taubert Nadalini), who has just returned home to his small hometown of Hayes Creek after fighting in World War II. Of course, it helped tremendously to hear Cusack-one of the most talented Broadway actor-singers I have ever heard in my many decades as a theatergoer-belt those songs effortlessly, bathed with all the emotional gravitas and unbridled joy needed for the role of Alice Murphy, the woman at the center of "Bright Star."īut to my utter delight, I had the same happy reaction the very second Anna Mintzer-who admirably plays Alice in MTW's winning regional premiere-began singing during the show's catchy opener "If You Knew My Story." It is then and there-surrounded by a beautiful-sounding ensemble cast and a rousing orchestra under the baton of musical director Dennis Castellano-that I knew that this new production will be just as enjoyable as my first time seeing the show.Īnd the awesome bonus? This first-ever regional production of the musical features both the original Broadway sets designed by Eugene Lee and the original Broadway costumes designed by Jane Greenwood to complete the faithful re-creation.ĭespite the melodramatic soapy storyline at its core, the back-and-forth dual timelines that drive the narrative presented in "Bright Star" still genuinely tugs at your heart strings, making it easily one of the more emotionally stirring dramatic musicals in recent memory.Īt first glance, the musical seems to be centered on two divergent characters living separate lives in North Carolina in 1945 that soon meet and affect each other profoundly. I cannot say wholeheartedly that I am a fan of bluegrass music genre, but in the context of "Bright Star"-and the way it is wonderfully folded into the DNA of the story-I genuinely became a fan. last year when I first experienced the musical (I had missed its pre-Broadway try-out at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre), and was instantly smitten not only by its quieter, less gargantuan machinations but also by its surprisingly earworm-like musical score, that, for me, felt very much like gospel music but with a slight country twang. It may not have the bombast of "Wicked" or "Hamilton," but it certainly has its own kind of mettle.Īrmed with a touching though slightly predictable period story (reportedly based on true events) and a lively and melodic songbook from Martin and Brickell, "Bright Star" had, on the surface, all the trappings of a great new musical when it first debuted on Broadway-including a star-making performance from lead actor Carmen Cusack, which she beautifully reprised last year during the musical's well-received national tour debut at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre. While it is seemingly intimate in execution, just below its rustic surfaces lay a more epic, modern-minded musical that's mired in heartbreak and tragedy-but yet still ultimately enveloped in hope, triumph, and love. At the helm is Richard Gatta, who is tasked to re-create not only the original Broadway direction of Walter Bobbie but also the original Broadway choreography of Josh Rhodes.Įndearing and emotionally sweeping, "Bright Star" is a no-frills, narrative-driven musical that's less about flash and more about its human-connective qualities, the very ones that will likely touch audience members in a much more cerebral, satisfying way. Nominated for five 2016 Tony Awards and the winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Broadway Musical, MTW's regional theatre premiere production which opened earlier this week continues its much too-brief run through Novemat the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach, CA. A pleasing, under-appreciated little gem of a musical, "Bright Star"-the quiet yet surprisingly powerful bluegrass musical crafted by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell-is, thankfully, getting a second chance at local stage glory as Musical Theatre West's highly anticipated 66th Season opener.
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