After beginning previews February 25, 2016, Bright Star opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre March 24. With music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, the production played 30 previews and 109 performances before closing on June 26, 2016. The musical garnered five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.
Based on true events, Bright Star tells the story of successful literary editor Alice Murphy, who meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II who inspires Alice to confront her past.
The production starred Carmen Cusack as Alice Murphy, Paul Alexander Nolan as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, Michael Mulheren as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, A.J. Shively as Billy Cane, Hannah Elless as Margo Crawford, Stephen Bogardus as Daddy Cane, Dee Hoty as Mama Murphy, Stephen Lee Anderson as Daddy Murphy, Emily Padgett as Lucy Grant, Jeff Blumenkrantz as Daryl Ames, Allison Briner-Dardenne as County Clerk, Max Chernin as Max, Patrick Cummings as Stationmaster, Sandra DeNise as Edna, Michael X. Martin as Dr. Norquist, Sarah Jane Shanks as Florence, William Youmans as Stanford Adams, and Tony Roach. Rounding out the company were Maddie Shea Baldwin, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, and William Michaels as swings.
Directed by Walter Bobbie with choreography by Walter Rhodes, Bright Star featured scenic design by Eugene Lee, scenic design supervision and associate scenic design by Edward Pierce, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg with stage management by Michael J. Passaro, Angee Nero, and Michelle Bosch. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
