BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Tour Stars Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky Will Give Preview at Madison County Covered Bridge Festival

Des Moines Performing Arts, in partnership with THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY national tour and the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, will host two special guests this weekend in Iowa's covered bridge capital. On Saturday, October 10, Elizabeth Stanley and Andrew Samonsky, who will star as Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY's upcoming national tour, will perform selections from the musical at the 46th Annual Madison County Covered Bridge Festival in Winterset, Iowa at 2 p.m. The performance will take place on the Mel Penrod Stage, located on the south side of the Iowa Courthouse Square. THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, winner of the 2014 Tony Award for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, is famously set in Iowa and will launch its national tour at the Des Moines Civic Center November 28 - December 5.

Ms. Stanley and Mr. Samonsky will perform THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY's "To Build a Home," "Before and After You / One Second and a Million Miles," and "It All Fades Away." The gorgeous, soulful music by three-time Tony Award®-winner Jason Robert Brown draws upon the rich textures of Americana and folk and the sweeping balladry of classic Broadway. Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News hailed it as "one of Broadway's best scores in the last decade." Tom Geier of Entertainment Weekly exclaimed that Brown "has written a lush and deeply romantic score, filled with rich and melodic duets," and NPR proclaimed it "MAGIC! An evening you will cherish long after the show is over!"

The critically acclaimed musical features one of Broadway's most accomplished creative teams with music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award®-winning composer JASON ROBERT BROWN (Parade, The Last Five Years), book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer MARSHA NORMAN (The Secret Garden, The Color Purple, 'night, Mother), and direction by Tony Award®-winner BARTLETT SHER (South Pacific, The King and I, The Light in the Piazza), recreated by TYNE RAFAELI.

The team also includes scenic design by two-time Tony Award®-winner MICHAEL YEARGAN (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific), costume design by six-time Tony Award®-winner CATHERINE ZUBER (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, The Coast of Utopia), lighting design by two-time Tony Award®-winner DONALD HOLDER (South Pacific, The Lion King), sound design by JON WESTON, arrangements and orchestrations by JASON ROBERT BROWN, movement by DANNY MEFFORD, and casting by TELSEY + COMPANY/CESAR ROCHA, CSA.

Based on the best-selling novel by ROBERT JAMES WALLER, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY tells the story of Iowa housewife Francesca Johnson and her life-changing, four-day whirlwind romance with traveling photographer Robert Kincaid. It's an unforgettable story of two people caught between decision and desire, as a chance encounter becomes a second chance at so much more.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, now available on Ghostlight Records, was released on April 15, 2014 and debuted as the #1 Cast Recording on the Billboard charts. For more information or to purchase the Cast Recording, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/bridgesofmadisoncounty.

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY national tour will launch at the Des Moines Civic Center with performances beginning Saturday, November 28th and an official opening on Tuesday, December 1st. The tour will travel to more than 15 cities in its first season.

For more information, please visit www.BridgesMusical.com