This can also be seen in the second song of the show, when a son comes home from war asking for his mother. ![]() They are simple yet poignant like the stirring “Sun’s Gonna Shine,” or “Asheville,” where a forlorn girl sings about her love interest moving away. The songs are full of strong visuals that pluck at the heartstrings. ![]() The lyrics from the show particularly stand out for their poetry and simplicity. And to balance the wholesomeness, Bright Star presents evil in the character of Mayor Dobbs, whose defining song is “A Man’s Gotta Do.” He is the patriarchy personified, exercising his will over women’s rights with a curt epithet, “I’m doing you a favor.” While the show takes place almost a century in the past, it resonates richly with #MeToo-modern audiences. It offers the comfort of nostalgia without feeling like a stale, rehashed story.Ĭharacters are well-rounded and multilayered, and you want to root for them, whether it’s Alice or Billy or their love interests, Jimmy and Margot, respectively. Whether it’s the Southern setting or the moxie of the characters, Bright Star feels like a glass of sweet tea on a hot summer day. The plot is rich with detail, unveiling slowly to keep the audience on its toes for the whole show. Right away, there is a homey feeling that envelopes the audience, beckoning them to take off their proverbial coats and sit a spell. There is a whole-hearted sweetness that drips from Bright Star, but the musical isn’t saccharine. Using songs from the album, the pair created Bright Star, which is also loosely inspired by “The Ballad of the Iron Mountain Baby,” a folk song written in the early 1900s.īright Star hits every nail on the head - memorable music, poignant lyrics, compelling storyline, thorough character development, attractive set design and an enchanting overall spirit. The musical hit Broadway in 2016, stemming from musician Eddie Brickell and comedian Steve Martin’s bluegrass collaboration album, Love Has Come for You. Told between the two characters, Bright Star is a tale about ambition and the challenges that get in the way. As he desperately seeks the admiration of the paper’s editor, Alice Murphy, she reminisces about her own youth in the early 1920s. He travels from his small town of Hayes Creek to Asheville to get his stories published in the prestigious Asheville Southern Journal. “If you knew my story, you’d have a good story to tell.”īright Star follows North Carolinian Billy Cane, a young veteran of World War II who dreams of being a writer. “Many backs have broken from lesser weight/ I know I was born to carry more than I can hold/ Even though I’ll stumble, even though I’ll fall/ You’ll never see me crumble, you’ll never see me crawl,” she sings. As its main character, Alice Murphy, welcomes the audience to the show in the opening number, she forewarns it’s a crazy ride. It’s the perfect music to tell a story stranger than fiction, and it’s a folk song that inspired the musical Bright Star. There’s something about folk music - the twang of a banjo, the lonesome drawl of a singer’s voice - that captures a certain melodrama that other genres can’t. ![]() 'Bright Star' at The Arvada Center, through Sept.
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