Bright Star (musical)

Bright Star
Playbill cover of the original Broadway run
Music	Steve Martin Edie Brickell
Lyrics	Edie Brickell
Book	Steve Martin
Productions	2014 San Diego 2015 Washington, D.C. 2016 Broadway

Bright Star is a musical written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945-46 with flashbacks to 1923. The musical is inspired by their Grammy-winning collaboration on the 2013 bluegrass album Love Has Come for You.

Productions

Bright Star had its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre (San Diego) on September 28, 2014 and ran to November 2, 2014. The musical had a workshop by the New York Stage and Film at the Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College, in July 2013.

The musical opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on December 2, 2015.

The show began previews at the Cort Theatre on Broadway on February 25, 2016 before officially opening on March 24. Directed by Walter Bobbie, the cast features Carmen Cusack as Alice Murphy, Paul Alexander Nolan as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, A.J. Shively as Billy Cane, Hannah Elless as Margo Crawford, Michael Mulheren as Mayor Dobbs, Stephen Bogardus as Billy's father, Dee Hoty as Alice's mother, and Stephen Lee Anderson as Alice's father. Choreography is by Josh Rhodes, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Jane Greenwood and lighting design by Japhy Weideman.

Plot

Act I

In 1945, as the music begins, the lights come up on 38-year-old Alice Murphy, a successful editor of the literary magazine, the Asheville Southern Journal. However, instead of overseeing other people’s stories, tonight belongs to her. ("If You Knew My Story") Hayes Creek, North Carolina. Billy Cane, a young soldier and aspiring writer, has returned home from the war where he finds his childhood friend Margo visiting his father, Daddy Cane. After some warm pleasantries about the stories Billy has sent home for Margo to read, she makes her excuses and leaves the two of them to talk. Daddy Cane tells him the sorrowful news about Billy’s mother. ("She’s Gone") A few weeks later at Margo’s bookshop, Billy tells her that he is going to travel to Asheville to submit his stories in person to the Asheville Southern Journal. ("Bright Star") Upon his arrival at the Journal’s offices, he finds himself rebuffed by Alice Murphy’s assistants, Daryl and Lucy, who warn him of just how formidable Miss Murphy is. (“She once made Ernest Hemingway cry.”) However, Miss Murphy finds herself charmed by a brazen lie that Billy tells and decides to consider his stories. Lucy, sensing an opening with her boss, invites her to a dance that evening at the Shiny Penny. Alice declines but does remember a time when she would have gone. ("Way Back in the Day")

Flashing back to 1923, in the tiny town of Zebulon, North Carolina, Alice Murphy (now 16-years-old) is flirting heavily with Jimmy Ray, the Mayor’s son. The attraction is mutual. ("Whoa, Mama") When Alice returns home to Daddy and Mama Murphy, they reprimand her and ponder her unfortunate future. ("Firmer Hand/Do Right") Similarly, when Jimmy Ray returns home, his father, the Mayor, lectures him on just what the future holds for him, and it doesn’t include the likes of Alice Murphy. ("A Man’s Gotta Do")

Going back to 1945, upon receiving encouragement from Alice in the form of a check for $10, Billy decides to leave Hayes Creek and settle in Asheville where he can write full time. Margo had other hopes for her future with Billy, but she puts them aside to be supportive of his dreams. ("Asheville")

Back in 1923, Alice and Jimmy Ray escape down to the riverbank during a dance and do exactly what their parents forbade them to do. ("What Could Be Better") A short time later in Dr. Norquist’s office, Alice finds out why she hasn’t been feeling well the past few days. Jimmy Ray wants to do “the right thing” but the Mayor forbids it. The Mayor and the doctor arrange for Alice to stay in a cabin in the woods for the duration of her pregnancy (no point in bringing shame upon herself and her family). While distressed at the situation, she is often visited by Jimmy Ray and utilizes her time by knitting a sweater for the baby. ("I Can’t Wait") Shortly after the baby boy is born, Alice, with both Daddy and Mama Murphy present, is visited by the Mayor and his lawyer who have conspired together to put the baby up for adoption. ("Please, Don’t Take Him") Alice loses the argument, and Daddy Murphy signs the adoption papers. The Mayor takes the baby and puts him in a valise, leaving the shattered family behind. Later that night, as the train to Asheville is crossing Hayes Creek, he decides to eliminate the possibility of a scandal altogether and, when no one is looking, he tosses the newborn baby in the valise into the river below. ("A Man’s Gotta Do (Reprise)")

Act II

Optimism tinged with sadness pervades both time periods

In 1924, at the train station in Zebulon, Alice, with a suitcase, is saying good-bye to Mama Murphy. She’s headed to Chapel Hill to attend college on a scholarship that appeared out of nowhere. Though she is looking forward to it, she wants more than anything for Jimmy Ray to join her so that together they can locate their son.

In 1945, at the bookstore in Hayes Creek, Margo and her friends reflect on how Margo misses Billy in Asheville. ("Sun Is Gonna Shine")

Back in 1924, despite the Mayor’s serious illness, Jimmy Ray has his bag packed to meet Alice in Chapel Hill. The Mayor forbids him to go and confesses what he did to the child. A crushed Jimmy Ray realizes that he can’t possibly tell Alice what has happened and stays with his father. ("Heartbreaker")

Finally, in 1946, Daryl and Lucy are sharing an after-work drink (or two) at the Shiny Penny Cafe when a lonely and creatively frustrated Billy enters. They (and the rest of the crowd) do their best to cheer him up. ("Another Round") The next day, before she goes to Raleigh on “unfinished” business, Alice informs Billy that they’re going to publish one of his stories. He’s grateful, and confesses that he has been writing more and more about home, where he finds his inspiration. Alice agrees that it’s hard to get “home out of the heart of a Southern writer.” Upon learning that Alice’s train will be traveling through Hayes Creek, Billy invites her to meet Daddy Cane and see where his stories take place. She willingly accepts. While in Raleigh, Alice is looking through all the adoption papers available for the period when her son would have been registered and can find nothing. She asks if anyone else has ever inquired about that same period of time. The answer is no. Later that evening, Alice encounters Jimmy Ray. He never married. They acknowledge that they kept up on each other from afar. After all these years, Jimmy Ray tells her what the Mayor did. Alice is devastated. ("I Had a Vision") Back in Hayes Creek, while telling Margo that his story is being published and that he’s moving back, Billy finally realizes that Margo is the girl for him. ("Always Will") In Zebulon, Alice is reconciled after all of these years with Daddy Murphy who apologizes for allowing her baby to be taken away from her. Not wanting to continue his distress any longer, she lies to assure him that the baby was adopted by a good family in California and is educated and successful. In Hayes Creek, Alice arrives at Billy’s childhood home and meets Daddy Cane. In the course of the conversation, we learn that Alice is in fact Billy’s mother. Other secrets are uncovered and mysteries solved. ("So Familiar") ("At Long Last") A few weeks later, back in Asheville, after the dust has settled, there is a reconciliation and a couple of marriage proposals providing everyone involved with a happy ending. ("Finale")

Songs

Act I

• "If You Knew My Story" — Alice, Ensemble
• "She's Gone" — Daddy Cane, Billy
• "Bright Star" — Billy, Ensemble
• "Way Back in the Day" — Alice, Ensemble
• "Whoa, Mama" — Jimmy, Alice
• "Firmer Hand/Do Right" — Daddy Murphy, Mama Murphy
• "A Man's Gotta Do" — Mayor Dobbs, Jimmy
• "Asheville" — Margo and Ensemble
• "What Could Be Better" — Jimmy, Alice, Ensemble
• "I Can't Wait" — Alice, Jimmy, Ensemble
• "Please, Don't Take Him" — Mayor Dobbs, Alice, Daddy Murphy, Mama Murphy, Stanford Adams, Ensemble
• "A Man's Gotta Do" (reprise) — Mayor Dobbs, Ensemble

Act II

• Entr'acte
• "Sun's Gonna Shine" — Alice, Mama Murphy, Margo, Daddy Cane, Edna, Florence, Ensemble
• "Heartbreaker" — Jimmy
• "Another Round" — Lucy Grant, Daryl Ames, Billy, Ensemble
• "I Had a Vision" — Alice, Jimmy
• "Always Will" — Billy, Margo, Ensemble
• "Can't Wait" (reprise) — Ensemble
• "So Familiar" — Alice, Ensemble
• "At Long Last" — Alice, Ensemble
• "Finale" — Ensemble

All songs contain music by Martin and Brickell with lyrics by Brickell except "Way Back in the Day" and "At Long Last" by Edie Brickell and "Bright Star" with ensemble lyrics by Martin. "Way Back in the Day", "I Can't Wait", "Heartbreaker", "Another Round", "I Had a Vision", "Always Will" and "So Familiar" all originate from the album "So Familiar". "Asheville" and "Sun's Gonna Shine" both originated from the album "Love Has Come for You".

Principal Roles and Original Casts

Character	Kennedy Center Cast	Original Broadway Cast
Alice Murphy	Carmen Cusack
Billy Cane	A.J. Shively
Mayor Josiah Dobbs	Michael Mulheren
Jimmy Ray Dobbs	Paul Alexander Nolan
Margo Crawford	Hannah Elless
Daddy Cane	Stephen Bogardus
Mama Murphy	Dee Hoty
Daddy Murphy	Stephen Lee Anderson
Lucy Grant	Emily Padgett
Darryl Ames	Jeff Blumenkrantz

Reception

San Diego

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote that, "The shining achievement of the musical is its winsome country and bluegrass score, with music by Mr. Martin and Ms. Brickell, and lyrics by Ms. Brickell. The complicated plot, divided between two love stories that turn out to have an unusual connection, threatens to get a little too diffuse and unravel like a ball of yarn rolling off a knitter’s lap. But the songs — yearning ballads and square-dance romps rich with fiddle, piano and banjo, beautifully played by a nine-person band — provide a buoyancy that keeps the momentum from stalling." Bob Verini of Variety praised the music, but felt that, "characterizations are distinctly undercooked. Guileless Billy seems untouched by wartime service, too callow to craft greeting cards let alone the 'sweeping tale of pain and redemption' Alice unaccountably expects of him", and the show could benefit with higher stakes in its drama.

Broadway

Elysa Gardner, in her review in USA Today, wrote: "...Martin, a master ironist, captures some of that old-school spirit with a book that's as forthright as it is smart, funny and charming....Martin and Brickell refuse to condescend to their own characters, from the small-townspeople Billy grows up with to the wry, knowing employees at Alice's highly regarded journal in the city of Asheville....The tone in which that story is delivered can also wobble a bit, especially later on, when what seems destined to be a majestic, Hammerstein-esque resolution is mitigated by zany musical-comedy flourishes. Still, in what may well prove to be the richest Broadway season for new musicals in decades, this gently shining Star holds its own."

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2016	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical	Carmen Cusack	Pending
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Paul Alexander Nolan	Pending
			A.J. Shively	Pending
		Outstanding Music	Steve Martin and Edie Brickell	Pending
		Outstanding Orchestrations	August Eriksmoen	Pending
		Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical	Jane Greenwood	Pending
		Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical	Nevin Steinberg	Pending
	Drama League Award	Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical		Pending
		Distinguished Performance	Carmen Cusack	Pending
	Theatre World Awards	Outstanding Debut Performance		Won
	Fred and Adele Astaire Awards	Best Choreographer	Josh Rhodes	Nominated
		Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show		Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding New Broadway Musical		Won
		Outstanding Book of a Musical	Steve Martin	Nominated
		Outstanding New Score	Steve Martin and Edie Brickell	Won
		Outstanding Choreographer	Josh Rhodes	Nominated
		Outstanding Actress in a Musical	Carmen Cusack	Nominated
		Outstanding Costume Design	Jane Greenwood	Nominated
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Walter Bobbie	Nominated
	Tony Award	Best Musical		Pending
		Best Book of a Musical	Steve Martin	Pending
		Best Original Score	Steve Martin and Edie Brickell	Pending
		Best Actress in a Musical	Carmen Cusack	Pending
		Best Orchestrations	August Eriksmoen	Pending

External links

• The Official Bright Star website
• Internet Broadway database