Review Roundup: BRIGHT STAR Shines Again in Los Angeles - What Did The Critics Have to Say?

BRIGHT STAR at Ahmanson Theatre plays through November 19. This original musical tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and '40s. Propelled by an ensemble of onstage musicians and dancers, the story unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion, beautiful melodies and powerfully moving performances.

The cast stars Carmen Cusak as Alice Murphy. She originated the role in 2016 in her Broadway debut, and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. The cast also stars A.J. Shively as Billy Cane, Stephen Lee Anderson as Daddy Murphy, David Atkinson as Daddy Cane, Jeff Austin as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, Maddie Shea Baldwin as Margo Crawford, Jeff Blumenkrantz as Daryl Ames, PatRick Cummings as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, and Kaitlyn Davidson as LuCy Grant.

The cast also includes Devin Archer, Kelly Baker, Audrey Cardwell, Max Chernin, Robin De Lando, Richard Gratta, David Kirk Grant, Donna Louden, Kevin McMahon, Alessa Neeck, Robert Pieranunzi, and Michael Starr.

BRIGHT STAR has a book, music, and story by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It is directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Josh Rhodes, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

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Charles McNulty, The LA Times: Eugene Lee's scenic design, which includes a movable wooden cabin that helps establish some of the musical's North Carolina locales while conveniently housing the band, is fluid and sharp. Japhy Weideman's gorgeous lighting converts stage pictures into dreams... Anchoring the musical with top-drawer panache is Carmen Cusack, reprising her Tony-nominated performance as Alice Murphy, whose tall tale the musical unfurls. Overflowing with charm, crackling with wit and containing just the right amount of vinegar, Cusack entrances as much with her vocal beauty as with her pungent smart talk.

Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld: From start to finish, Alice Murphy (Cusack) is a joy to watch. With her entrance where she proclaims to the world "If You Knew My Story", she makes us feel we are in for something extra special... Praise to this wonderful cast and to Bobbie who has directed the whole piece with a skilled hand. He and choreographer Josh Rhodes put the 18 member ensemble through what seem some pretty rip-roaring moves.

Samuel Garza Bernstein, Stage and Cinema: Director Walter Bobbie takes us effortlessly and inventively between the time periods, using stop and go motion, even a "rewind" effect, and whimsical suggestions of transportation. But Cusack is the true marvel that makes these segues so easy. Her body is entirely different in 1923 than in 1945. An unbridled zest for living infuses her younger self with a spunky energy that keeps her practically bouncing across the stage. She is far more physically contained in 1945, but loses none of her power.

Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter: The cast is uniformly strong, blending newcomers with original ensemble members like Cusack, Shively and Cummings, who played the Stationmaster on Broadway. He's sufficiently dreamy as Jimmy Ray, bringing a luggish charm to balance Alice's sharper edges, and he sings his solo, "Heartbreaker," with passion and nuance. As Margo, Baldwin glows in a role she previously understudied; waiting patiently for Billy to wake up to their inevitable union, she demonstrates warmth and tenderness in her solo, "Asheville."

Hoyt Hilsman, Huffington Post: The story is sweet and old-fashioned, with plenty of melodramatic touches. Music and lyrics by Martin and Brickell are sparkling and mostly upbeat, if rarely memorable. While there are a number of fine performances - including by Cummings and Shively, as well as by Jeff Blumenkrantz and Kaitlyn Davidson as witty assistant to Alice, and Maddie Shea Baldwin as Billy's girlfriend, Cusack is the clear standout. Nominated for multiple awards on Broadway and in regional theater for this performance, Cusack explores the multiple layers and depths of the character that help to transcend the often melodramatic storyline.

Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA: Time-travel back and forth between the 1920s and '40s no longer proves confusing thanks to a brand new opening number (Alice's autobiographical "If You Knew My Story") that establishes the "present-day" time frame, an inventive clothes-changing sequence that makes it clear we'll be seeing Alice both as she is today and as she once was, and casting a pair of leading men easily distinguished one from the other... Masterfully tweaked for Broadway, the musical I first discovered in San Diego burns brighter still in L.A. Filled with humanity and humor and heartbreak and hope, Bright Star had me in the palm of its celestial hand from Carmen Cusack's first hello.

Photo: Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging

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