NewsPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "It All Fades Away..." A Last Look Behind the Scenes at The Bridges of Madison County Before it ClosesCaitlin Kinnunen (Spring Awakening) is featured as teenage daughter Carolyn in the new Jason Robert Brown musical The Bridges of Madison County. She shares a two-show day at the Schoenfeld Theatre, hard at work with the Bridges family.
By
Matthew Blank
May 15, 2014
0
of
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "It All Fades Away..." A Last Look Behind the Scenes at The Bridges of Madison County Before it Closes
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "It All Fades Away..." A Last Look Behind the Scenes at The Bridges of Madison County Before it Closes
Caitlin Kinnunen (Spring Awakening) is featured as teenage daughter Carolyn in the new Jason Robert Brown musical The Bridges of Madison County. She shares a two-show day at the Schoenfeld Theatre, hard at work with the Bridges family.
89 PHOTOS
Good morning playbill.com! Welcome to a two-show day with me! Should be fun, might be boring. Either way, here we go! This is how I wake up. Super attractive.
Caitlin Kinnunen
I try to make myself look somewhat presentable before going out into the world.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Goodbye apartment! See you tonight! Stairs. My life revolves around stairs.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Before the first show I meet up with my friend Preston Sadleir. He's eating a giant breakfast sandwich.
Caitlin Kinnunen
After he's done eating, he asks me to paint his nails...
Caitlin Kinnunen
I happily oblige. Of course.
Caitlin Kinnunen
After breakfast and nail painting I arrive at our beautiful theatre!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Our call board! Here is where all the important info gets posted.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Sign in! As you can see I'm usually one of the first people here.
Caitlin Kinnunen
On my way up to my dressing room I run into one of our stage managers, Lisa Chernoff! She's taking a peek at some of the yummy treats our incredible producers sent us!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Then I run into some of our dressers! The wonderful Fran Curry and William Mellette!
Caitlin Kinnunen
During the shows a lot of us color. Here we display some of our finer work.
Caitlin Kinnunen
I made it! All the way up! Stairs, stairs, stairs! Finally at my dressing room.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Here we are. My catastrophe of a station.
Caitlin Kinnunen
This is what I look like when I start to get ready. Let the transformation into a 14 year old farm girl commence!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Step one, wig prep!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Step two, make up!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Well...this will need to go away...
Caitlin Kinnunen
Step three, the magic of makeup!
Caitlin Kinnunen
After all that I head down to hair to get my wig put on.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Brittnye Batchelor, ladies and gentlemen! Getting my wig ready to go!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Getting this thing on is harder than it looks.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Once it's on, she has to glue it down. No fun.
Caitlin Kinnunen
On my way back up to my dressing room I stop and say hello to some of our awesome band members. L-R, Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, Paul Woodiel, Erin Benim (making a funny face), Paul Masse, and our MD Tom Murray!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Today's a special day! Our associate music director, Andrew Resnick, gets to conduct!!! Even though he's making this goof face.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Working my way back up the stairs I stop in and say hello to the SM office. Lisa Chernoff and B. Bales Karlin say hello!
Caitlin Kinnunen
I pop into Steve's dressing room as he's working out. Gotta look good on a two-show day!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Step four! Almost ready!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Swing extraordinaire, Jessica Vosk!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Ephie Aardema, Elena Shaddow and some weird chick.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Thunder cats are go!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Every day I write an "inspirational" note for our SM Jenn Rae Moore.
Caitlin Kinnunen
She really appreciates it.
Caitlin Kinnunen
At places we huddle and Steve give us an inspirational phrase. We're all about inspiration at Bridges.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Hands in everybody!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Not quite sure what's happening here.
Caitlin Kinnunen
We check and see how the house is doing. Lookin' pretty good out there.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Jenn shows off her cue lights. My notes for her even get their own space!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Cue lights on!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Kelli O'Hara singing her face off in the opening number!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Jenn Rae Moore calling the show. She's amazing. We love her.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Lisa Chernoff captures my first entrance!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Waiting at the top of the stairs! So. Many. Stairs.
I'd been working on this one for a couple shows. Alllllmost done.
Caitlin Kinnunen
I try to surprise him in the hallway after one of our scenes. It never works.
Caitlin Kinnunen
The view from the top of the stairs before an entrance.
Caitlin Kinnunen
My blood sugar decided to go low. So juice break!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Getting the gypsy robe ready to send to Rocky!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Whitney Bashor getting her wig taken off by Ashley!
Caitlin Kinnunen
I call Whitney "unicorn" because she's majestic and can do anything.
Caitlin Kinnunen
See! She's a completely different person now!
Caitlin Kinnunen
I get my hair done a lot during the show. Here it goes up into GIANT rollers.
Caitlin Kinnunen
This is my view as I wait to go on for my next scene. Talk about beautiful.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Pigtails for act two!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Intermission with Elena!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Casual hang.
Caitlin Kinnunen
This is my favorite outfit that Whitney wears. The shirt is attached to those hot pants. Also a girdle under all of it. Yay 1965!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Jeff (Luke Marinkovich) and Carolyn (me!) share a special moment before act two starts.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Hunter Foster. That is all. Also, photo bomb by Bales.
Caitlin Kinnunen
THIS SHOW IS GORGEOUS.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Whitney (aka Unicorn) getting ready for Italy!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Katie Klaus taking the fireball challenge.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Half up half down. Carolyn's staple hairstyle.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Jennifer Allen ponders her next coloring move.
Caitlin Kinnunen
I finally finished it! Flowers galore.
Caitlin Kinnunen
We take coloring VERY seriously.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Hunter Foster. He's the man.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Quick change to get married!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Classic 70's wedding. Brittnye puts my hair up into a French twist faster than anyone!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Steven Pasquale. Steven. Pasquale. That is all.
Caitlin Kinnunen
The girls getting their wigs taken off at the end of the show. We all line up and then GO!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Stage door!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Dinner between shows with this handsome fellow.
Caitlin Kinnunen
It's an exciting two show day!!! Charlie Franklin gets to make his Broadway debut going on for Luke!!!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Ephie's fighting a cold. So she steams it all out.
Caitlin Kinnunen
While running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I run into our directer, Bartlett Sher!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Getting ready for the second show with some Jessie J.
Caitlin Kinnunen
This again. I will have glue on my face for the rest if my life.
Caitlin Kinnunen
This is Tim Wright. He's our dance captain (as well as a swing). He is a God send. He helps all the understudies get to where they need to go. And he is INCREDIBLE at it. He knows more about this show than a whole lot of people.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Charlie and Kelli heading to places.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Huddle up! Second show!!!
Caitlin Kinnunen
A quick change booth! Magic happens here.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Charlie might be a little nervous...
Caitlin Kinnunen
This is JT. He's making my corndog for act two!
Caitlin Kinnunen
Both shows done! This is what happens when I take the pin curls out. Bahhhh.
Caitlin Kinnunen
After show snacks with Andrew!
Caitlin Kinnunen
I made it home! Twinkle lights greet me.
Caitlin Kinnunen
Now I sleep. Goodnight Playbill.com! Thanks for spending a two-show day with me! Come see The Bridges of Madison County! Playing now at the Schoenfeld theatre!
Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale star in The Bridges of Madison County — the new Broadway musical based on the Robert James Waller romance novel about a woman who sees love anew when a rugged photographer pulls into town — which officially opened Feb. 20 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre and will conclude its run May 18.
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (Golden Boy, South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) helms the musical that has a score by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs for a New World) and a book by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, 'Night Mother). Previews began Jan. 17.
Tony Award nominee O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific, Nice Work If You Can Get It) and Pasquale (Reasons to Be Pretty, Far From Heaven, "Rescue Me") lead the cast as Italian-American housewife Francesca Johnson and National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid, respectively. O'Hara and Pasquale are reunited after having appeared together in one of the early productions of The Light in the Piazza, as well as in the Off-Broadway musical Far From Heaven in which they played a husband and wife locked in an unhappy marriage.
"This is kind of the moment we've been waiting to explore together," O'Hara said of working with Pasquale on Bridges of Madison County. "This chemistry will help inform these two characters. And there is something almost mystical [feeling of], 'I've known you before. I've seen you before...'"
"What Jason Robert Brown, Marsha Norman and Bart Sher have done is taken a story that is naturally a two-hander and populate it on three different planes," Pasquale added. "It takes place in present-day 1965 Iowa, it takes place in Robert's memory, and thirdly, it takes place in Francesca's memory. So we learn things about people in flashbacks and we travel to Italy and we see Robert's ex-wife. They have populated the world with these interesting characters, but essentially, at its core it's a genuine love story."
Tony nominee Hunter Foster (Hands on a Hardbody, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors) portrays Bud Johnson, with Derek Klena (Wicked) and Caitlin Kinnunen (Spring Awakening) as teenagers Michael and Carolyn Johnson, respectively.
The romantic musical centers on a brief, four-day love affair between a National Geographic photographer and an Italian-American housewife in 1965 Iowa. Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep starred in the 1995 film adaptation.
The creative team includes Michael Yeargan (scenic design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Jon Weston (sound design), Deborah Hecht (dialect coach) and Thomas Murray (music director).
The musical is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Stacey Mindich, and Jerry Frankel. They will be joined by Gutterman Chernoff, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Carl Daikeler, Scott M. Delman, Aaron Priest, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Independent Presenters Network, Libby Adler Mages/Mari Stuart, Caiola Productions, Remmel Dickinson, David Lancaster, Bellanca Smigel Rutter, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Will Trice, with Warner Bros Theatre Ventures and The Shubert Organization.
For tickets, phone (212) 239-6200 or visit Telecharge.com. The Schoenfeld Theatre is located at 236 West 45th Street.