Review: BRIGHT STAR at Red Curtain Theatre

Intimate size theatres are my newest favorite way to watch shows, so when I heard that Red Curtain Theatre, 913 W Oak Street, in Conway, was bringing BRIGHT STAR to their newly remodeled performance area May 3-5 and May 10-12, I was intrigued. I’ve only seen it once before, and it was on a massive stage with a large cast. How were they going to all fit, and how were they going to squeeze in those fabulous dance numbers? Well, my concerns were quickly squashed, because this troupe has mastered their spatial relations while not skipping out on the major ensemble pieces.  

Written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, BRIGHT STAR, which was inspired by true events, is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the 1940s with flashbacks to the early 20s. This Bluegrass musical begins with Alice Murphy (Heidi Sue Wallace) and company singing "If You Knew My Story” and then opens with Billy Cane (Ben Parrish), a writer, coming home from the war. He greets his Daddy Cane (Scot Polk), gets to see his friend Margo Crawford (Gracie Folks) and learns of his mother's demise. He then decides to take his writings to Asheville and follow his own “Bright Star.” Once there he meets Daryl Ames (Avery Shellito) and Lucy Grant (Emily Wood) who tells Billy how tough Alice is and refuses to keep his stories. Ms. Murphy comes in, lets Billy tell her a lie and decides to read his stories.  

When Daryl and Lucy invite Alice out, she sings about her younger days, and the whole story switches to when she was younger. She goes to a party and meets Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Johnny Passmore), who she quickly falls in love. After an encounter by the river, she becomes pregnant. Even though Alice’s mama (Jenny Ruud) tries to protect Alice and the baby, both dads, Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Keith Coker) and Daddy Murphy (Perry Morriss) devise a plan to get rid of the baby and the scandal. After it is all over, Alice is sent off to college and life moves on. As the story unfolds, Alice's connection with Billy reignites Alice's passion for writing and forces her to confront her past. Together, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing.  

The troupe here at Red Curtain has always been dear to my heart, but this one was something special. The whole cast put their heart, soul and tears into this production. The singing was phenomenal, the dance numbers were fun to watch, and the storytelling was expertly executed.  

Wallace was amazing as Alice. Her singing and dramatization were so impressive, we were all invested in her story. I loved how she transitioned from older Alice and younger Alice with ease, and I loved how she interacted with the various characters. Wallace and Passmore made a great couple, and their intimate moment was sensual.  

Another great moment was the group number “Firmer Hand/Do Right,” where Alice had a fight with her parents. Morriss was especially believable in this number. When he raises his backhand toward her, I was silently screaming ‘don’t do it!’ Their most heartbreaking moment was when they took the baby from Alice during the song “Please Don’t Take Him.” We were all near to tears during that scene. And then there was the scene when both dads and Stanford Adams (Kurt Baumann) decided to get rid of the baby. When Mayor Dobbs threw the baby from the train, I was about to come unglued! Keith Coker was too convincing, and I may have been mad at him longer than I should have been.  

Parrish and Folks were great at making their paired scenes awkward. It seemed like Billy was never going to make a move on Margo, but he was smooth later on in the show. Shellito and Wood were also a great pair and was funny with their catty remarks, and my favorite fun ensemble number was when they all went drinking and Lucy led the cast in “Another Round.” Shenanigans were had during that number.  

For added fun, each night had a different Dr. Norquist. My performance had Daniel Cathers covering the role on Sunday, May 12. For the other shows, there were George Mayo (May 3), David Weatherly (May 4), Jeffery A. Ward (May 5), AJ Spiridigliozzi (May 10), and Duane Jackson (May 11).  

Coming up next, the students of The Red Curtain Studio will put on an end-of-year performance around the theme of The Odyssey May 23-24, which will feature performers of all ages showing what they learned in their acting and improv classes, dance instruction, piano lessons, vocal coaching, and more! To sign up for future classes, visit their website at https://www.redcurtaintheatre.com/studio.html.   

PRODUCTION CREW

DIRECTOR...........................................................Kristen Dickerson
MUSIC DIRECTOR...........................................Christopher Turner
CHOREOGRAPHER..............................................Ansley Sherman
STAGE MANAGER........................................................Sarah Coker
SCENIC DESIGN...........Kristen Dickerson, Johnny Passmore
LIGHTING DESIGN.............................................Solomon Gunyula
PROPERTIES..................................................................Sarah Coker
SET CREW.......................................Perry Morriss, Avery Shellito
Scot Polk, Sébastien Farbos, Daniel Cathers
Noah Elrod, Johnny Passmore
PHOTOGRAPHY...............................................Kennedy Reynolds
VIDEOGRAPHY........................................................Daniel Cathers
PRODUCERS.........................Kristen Dickerson, Amber Welch

CAST

ALICE MURPHY...............................................Heidi Sue Wallace
Jimmy Ray DOBBS........................................Johnny Passmore
BILLY CANE...................................................................Ben Parrish
MARGO CRAWFORD.................................................Gracie Folks
DARYL AMES............................................................Avery Shellito
LUCY GRANT................................................................Emily Wood
MAYOR JOSIAH DOBBS............................................Keith Coker
DADDY CANE....................................................................Scot Polk
DADDY MURPHY......................................................Perry Morriss
MAMA MURPHY..........................................................Jenny Ruud
STANFORD ADAMS / ENSEMBLE.....................Kurt Baumann
FLORENCE / ENSEMBLE........................................Sarah Guinee
EDNA / ENSEMBLE...........................................Logan Wrightam
MAX / ENSEMBLE.........................................................Noah Elrod
GOVERNMENT CLERK / ENSEMBLE...........Mary Spears Polk
STATIONMASTER / ENSEMBLE....................Sébastien Farbos
WOMAN / ENSEMBLE.........................................Rebecca Dillon
ENSEMBLE.........................................................Marley Bennefeld
ENSEMBLE........................................................................Liz Mathis

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