Bright Star at Curran Theatre, November 29, 2017

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Broadway musical, Bright Star, featuring Carmen Cusack
Curran Theatre
445 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102-1222 USA
7:00 PM, Wednesday, November 29, 2017

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1. [7:12 PM] Alice and Ensemble: If You Knew My Story
2. [7:17 PM] Daddy Cane and Billy: She’s Gone
3. [7:23 PM] Billy and Ensemble: Bright Star
4. [7:29 PM] Alice and Ensemble: Way Back in the Day
5. [7:34 PM] Jimmy, Alice, and Ensemble: Whoa, Mama
6. [7:38 PM] Daddy Murphy, Mama Murphy, Alice, and Ensemble: Firmer Hand/Do Right
7. [7:42 PM] Mayor Dobbs and Jimmy: A Man’s Gotta Do
8. [7:50 PM] Margo and Ensemble: Asheville
9. [7:55 PM] Jimmy, Alice, and Ensemble: What Could Be Better
10. [8:00 PM] Alice, Jimmy, and Ensemble: I Can’t Wait
11. [8:03 PM] Mayor Dobbs, Alice, Daddy Murphy, Mama Murphy, Stanford Adams, and Ensemble: Please, Don’t Take Him
12. [8:10 PM] Mayor Dobbs and Ensemble: A Man’s Gotta Do (Reprise)
    [set ends 8:16 PM]

1. [8:36 PM] Orchestra: Entr’acte
2. [8:45 PM] Alice, Mama Murphy, Margo, Daddy Cane, Edna, Florence, and Ensemble: Sun’s Gonna Shine
3. [8:48 PM] Jimmy: Heartbreaker
4. [8:52 PM] Lucy, Darryl, Billy, and Ensemble: Another Round
5. [8:57 PM] Alice and Jimmy: I Had A Vision
6. [9:02 PM] Billy, Margo, and Ensemble: Always Will
7. [9:07 PM] Ensemble: I Can’t Wait (Reprise)
8. [9:14 PM] Alice and Ensemble: So Familiar
9. [9:20 PM] Alice and Ensemble: At Long Last
10. [9:28 PM] Ensemble: Finale
    [show ends 9:30 PM]

• Patrick Cummings: tenor vox, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, the mayor's son;
• Carmen Cusack: mezzo soprano vox, as Alice Murphy, editor of the Asheville Southern Journal, a literary magazine;
• A.J. Shively: tenor vox, as Billy Cane, an aspiring writer.

• Stephen Lee Anderson: baritone vox, as Daddy Murphy
• David Atkinson: tenor vox, as Daddy Kane
• Jeff Blumenkrantz: ?baritone or tenor? vox, as Daryl Ames, an employee of the Asheville Southern Journal;
• Allison Briner-Dardenne: mezzo-soprano vox, as Mama Murphy
• Kaitlyn Davidson: soprano vox, as Lucy Grant, another Asheville Southern Journal employee.

• Maddie Shea Baldwin: soprano vox, as Margo Crawford, Billy's childhood friend;
• Jeff Austin: baritone vox, as Mayor Josiah Dobbs.

• Devin Archer, Kelly Baker, Audrey Cardwell, Max Chernin, Robin De Lano, Richard Gatta, David Kirk Grant, Donna Louden, Kevin McMahon, Alessa Neeck, Robert Pieranunzi, and Michael Starr.

• P. Jason Yarcho: music director, conductor, piano, accordion;
• Wayne Fugate: acoustic guitar, mandolin;
• David Gold: viola, violin;
• Max Grossman: associate confuctor, accordion, autoharp;
• George Guthrie: banjo, acoustic guitar;
• Martha McDonnell: violin;
• David Mergen: cello;
• Joe Mowatt: drums, percussion;
• Skip Ward: contrabass;
• Andrew Zinsmeister: guitar, acoustic guitar.

• Peter Asher: musical supervisor;
• Rob Berman: vocal arranger;
• Walter Bobbie: director;
• Edie Brickell: lyrics;
• Jane Greenwood: costume designer;
• Eugene Lee: scene designer;
• Steve Martin: music;
• Seymour “Red” Press: music coordinator;
• Josh Rhodes: choreography
• Nevin Steinberg: sound design;
• Tom Watson: hair and wigs;
• Japhy Weideman: lighting design.

Well, despite the fact that it was a caricature-sketched melodrama punctuated by unbelievable yet predictable twists and turns, I enjoyed tonight's show. Ain't nothing wrong with experiencing a tear-jerker now and then, right?

The acting and singing was first rate, and while it was entirely a background element, the choreography and dancing was double plus good.

I thought it was a little lame that the musicians seemed to get little accolade – as if they were just hired hands to be replaced at the drop of a hat – but maybe that's de rigueur for Broadway shows? I dunno. Wouldn't have had much of a show without them!

• Karen D'Souza posted an interview with Steve Martin about the play in the Mercury News
• Margaret Gray posted a nice interview with Carmen Cusack in the L.A. Times
• Adam Hetrick posted a promo piece about the musical for Playbill
• Quentin Quick posted a promo for the show at the SF Examiner
• Stage Agent hosts tons of information about the play.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2017 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2017 event list! ☸ On to the next event!