With music and book by Steve Martin and music and lyrics by Edie Brickell, BRIGHT STAR is based on an original story by Martin and Brickell and features direction by Walter Bobbie.
Inspired by an astonishing true event, the wholly original new musical BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s. When successful literary editor Alice Murphy meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II, their connection inspires Alice to confront a shocking incident from her past. Together they discover a long-buried secret with the power to transform their lives.
The new Broadway musical 'Bright Star' starts with a bit of bluster, maybe even some swagger. 'If you knew my story, you'd have a good story to tell,' the leading lady sings. But after 2½ hours of this down-home hokum, the answer is clear: No, we don't. Comedian and banjo enthusiast Steve Martin has teamed up with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell to write a cliche-ridden, foot-pounding, over-eager Southern Gothic romance that ill serves a wonderful Broadway debut in Carmen Cusack. The show that opened Thursday at the Cort Theatre never hits an honest note and seems to have been written by two people who adore classic Broadway musicals but who have intentionally decided to make a third-rate version. The music, with a few exceptions, is weak...The book and lyrics are even more feeble, with graceless lines...and weird characters...Director Walter Bobbie gets everything out of his cast and keeps a frenetic pace going but for no clear payoff.
..Bright Star now opens with an establishing song called 'If You Knew My Story.' It's super-catchy, and Carmen Cusack, whose role in the proceedings we do not yet comprehend, sings the hell out of it. But unfortunately it does its 'show the audience what to expect' job too well. With banal, self-cancelling, upbeat lyrics...it mostly shows us that we are going to have, in Bright Star, a banal, self-cancelling, upbeat musical, the kind that wants to demonstrate a lot of heart without actually having one. Which is not to say it has no smarts and no value. There's a lot to like in Bright Star and a lot to admire in the way it was made...How the stories intersect with the songs is the larger problem here. The mostly bluegrass score, with country, gospel, and a little swing thrown in, sounds great...but almost always does exactly the opposite of what a story-based musical requires.
2016 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2017 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Carmen Cusack |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Jane Greenwood |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | A.J. Shively |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Paul Alexander Nolan |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Edie Brickell |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Steve Martin |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | August Eriksmoen |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Nevin Steinberg |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Carmen Cusack |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Bright Star |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Carmen Cusack |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or off-Broadway) | Steve Martin |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Josh Rhodes |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Jane Greenwood |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Walter Bobbie |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Bright Star |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or off-Broadway) | Edie Brickell |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or off-Broadway) | Steve Martin |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Steve Martin |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bright Star |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | August Eriksmoen |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Steve Martin |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Edie Brickell |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Carmen Cusack |
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