THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Comes To The Seacoast

The musical, "Bridges of Madison County," is set on an old family farm in Iowa, which is pretty much exactly like the Berwick farm where the Hackmatack production of this 2014 Tony Award winning musical will take place.

When "Bridge Of Madison County" opens next week at Hackmatack, the characters will be on the stage in an old converted barn surrounded by fields that easily could pass for the Iowa scenery which is the setting for this captivating love story.

"Something I absolutely lovely about our show is Hackmatack's environment with the barn and the landscape around it," said Danielle Howard of Dover, director of the show. "It's Maine, not Iowa, but we are still producing it in a barn that's been in the family for years. It will feel like our set extends out into the audience."

"Bridges of Madison County," which opens July 25 and runs through Aug. 9, is the story of the forbidden love affair between a traveling photographer and a rural wife who lives on a farm in Iowa. Winner of Tony Awards in 2014 for both best score and best orchestration, it is based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Wallace and has a score by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Noman.

The story follows an Italian woman named Francesca, who married an American solider while fleeing wartime Italy. Her husband is away on a four-day trip when a handsome photographer named Robert Kincaid comes to her house asking for directions.

Part of what makes "Bridges" so enticing - in both its movie and stage version - is the profound and extensive internal emotions expressed through the characters, Howard said.

"There's a lot of stuff in the movie that's internal," she said. "On stage, you can take it to the next level with music that is so expressive and touching."

The movie version starred Meryl Streep, who brings out the weight of this heart-breaking tale and Francesca's internal struggle, Howard noted. It also starred Clint Eastwood.

Hackmatack is one of the first theaters in the area to produce this touching show that celebrates love in all its forms. It has been done in Boston, but not around the Seacoast.

"I love this play because it's really a grownup love story," said Michael Guptill, owner of Hackmatack.

Howard, who also directed "She Loves Me" last summer, is a director with a knack for exploring characters, and delving into the script in a way that truly draws the audience into the story, according to Crystal Lisbon, artistic director of Hackmatack.

Lisbon noted that "Bridges" is a "very different kind of show than what we've done in the past." She said both she and Guptill were excited to bring this story to their audiences, and "we hope they'll love it as much as we do. "

"Bridges of Madison County" will show 8 pm Wednesdays to Saturday, July 25 to 28, Aug. 1 to 4 and Aug. 8 to 11, as well as 2 pm Thursdays, July 26, Aug. 2 and Aug. 9. More information and tickets available at www.hackmatack.org or by calling 207-698-1807

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