If you’re anything like me, every now and then you hunger for a new musical written with the same kind of heart as the shows of old. Add toe-tapping music, and a sensational cast, and you have Bright Star, the aptly named offering which is delighting even the grumpiest of theater critics. It’s a good old boy-meets-girl story, with one startling twist which leaves the audience gasping. At the center of it all is Alice Murphy, a simple country girl who’s grown up in rural North Carolina. Carmen Cusack is nothing short of brilliant in the role. She has mastered the vocal singing perfectly, even to the little yodel-like catch in her voice. She changes on stage from a sweet young woman in the 1920s to a hard-boiled editor in the 1940s. Cusack is truly heartbreaking as a young mother whose out-of-wedlock-child is torn from her arms. Her true love, Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Paul Alexander Nolan) would gladly marry her so they could raise their baby together, but Alice’s weak father (Stephen Lee Anderson) thwarts this plan by going along with the demands of Jimmy Ray’s ruthless dad, Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Michael Mulheren). As good as all the actors are in this wrenching scenario, watch the always notable Dee Hoty as Alice’s mother. She conveys, with little dialogue, her horror and shock, and the grinding knowledge that as a woman, she’s powerless. Only the girl’s father need sign the papers for the infant to be adopted by someone else. The story moves back and forth in time, which can be a bit confusing. Fortunately, the stage is very plastic, serving as a cabin with a shelter to house the band, a dance hall, and Alice’s office. After the war, Billy Cane (A.J. Shively) comes home to find that his mother has died. His dad (Stephen Bogardus) shows him the grave, and together, they sing the lament “She’s Gone.” Billy has ambition to become a famous writer, which comes as no surprise to the girl who loves him, Margo Crawford (Hannah Elless). Both performers are clean-cut and very appealing. What Margo doesn’t expect is that Billy plans to take off to the big city, Asheville. He sings of his voyage to find his true destiny, the title song “Bright Star.” In Asheville, he lies his way into getting Alice Murphy to read his work by telling her that the years dead Thomas Wolfe has written him a letter of recommendation. Alice believes that liars are often good storytellers, and she takes a shine to the young man. When Alice agrees to visit Billy’s home town, she’s brought back to another reality. On the way, she stops to see her parents and encounters her old love, Jimmy Ray. Neither of them ever married; they never forgot each other and still hold strong feelings. For years, Jimmy Ray has avoided Alice, because he knows a horrible secret and feels he must shield her. A little train speeds across a track above the stage. At first, it’s a cute site gag, but it turns out to have a more dire meaning. The denouement isn’t hard to figure out, especially since the audience’s “I got it” whispers echo through the house. Bright Star is masterfully directed by Walter Bobbie, who keeps the show simple and entertaining and who neatly manages all the changes in time and venue. Combined with a cast which gleams luminously with talent and enthusiasm, this is a musical for all ages and a must-see for those who love musical theater.
