Based on an original story by Martin and Brickell, Bright Star features music by Martin and Brickell, lyrics by Brickell and book by Martin.
Directed by Tony winner Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will officially open Sept. 28 and continue through Nov. 2 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage.
The cast includes Stephen Lee Anderson as Daddy Murphy (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Richard III), Stephen Bogardus as Daddy Cane (The Last Goodbye, Love! Valour! Compassion!), Patti Cohenour as Mama Murphy (The Light in the Piazza, The Sound of Music), Carmen Cusack as Alice Murphy (South Pacific), Wayne Duvall as Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Working, Bonnie & Clyde), Hannah Elless as Margo Crawford (Godspell), Jeff Hiller as Daryl Ames (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Kate Loprest as Lucy Grant (First Date, Hairspray), A.J. Shively as Billy Cane (La Cage Aux Folles), Wayne Alan Wilcox as Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Chaplin, The Normal Heart) and Libby Winters as Dora Murphy (American Idiot).
Allison Briner, Max Chernin, Leah Horowitz (Follies, Les Misérables) Joe Jung (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Ashley Robinson (Merrily We Roll Along, The Last Goodbye), Sarah Jane Shanks and Scott Wakefield (Hands on a Hardbody, Ring of Fire) comprise the ensemble. Lulu Lloyd, Paige Herschell and Greg Roderick are swings. Here's how the production is billed: "Bright Star features nearly 20 new songs — Americana with a touch of rock — and tells a beguiling tale that unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina between 1923 and 1945. Billy Cane, a young soldier just home from World War II, meets Alice Murphy, the brilliant editor of a southern literary journal. Together they discover a powerful secret that alters their lives. Tony Award-winning director Walter Bobbie makes his Globe debut with this entertaining musical of enduring love, family ties, and the light of forgiveness that shines from a bright star."
"Bright Star is simply fantastic," artistic director Barry Edelstein said in a previous statement. "It is that rarest of rare birds: a genuinely original, new American musical. The music is gorgeous and completely captivating, and the story heartfelt and very sweet. I know that San Diego audiences will adore it. I am grateful that Steve Martin and Edie Brickell have entrusted their world premiere to The Old Globe. Along with their director, the great Walter Bobbie, they have assembled a world-class company whose bright stars will shine spectacularly on our stage."
"That our musical is premiering at the wonderful Old Globe in San Diego where Shakespeare first performed his plays fills me with humility," Martin added.
"After visiting the Globe, I realize how lucky I am to be a part of a production there. I cannot wait to see Bright Star rise and shine at the gorgeous Old Globe," Brickell said in a previous statement.
The creative team includes Josh Rhodes (choreographer), Peter Asher (musical supervisor), Rob Berman (musical director, vocal arrangements), August Eriksmoen (orchestrator), Eugene Lee (scenic design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Japhy Weideman (lighting design), Nevin Steinberg (sound design), Lee Wilkins (associate choreographer), Howie Cherpakov CSA (casting) and Anjee Nero (stage manager).
The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Tickets and more information are available by calling (619) 23-GLOBE or visiting TheOldGlobe.org.
