Erin Davie & Mark Evans to Star in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the musical The Bridges of Madison County, with music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Norman. Based on the novel by Robert James Walker, the production will star Broadway’s Erin Davie (Diana, Sunday in the Park with George) and Mark Evans (Waitress, Signature's The Fix) and will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard (Signature’s Pacific Overtures, Which Way to the Stage), with music direction by Laura Bergquist (Broadway’s Allegiance, Off-Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish), and choreography by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise (Signature’s She Loves Me, Grand Hotel). Performances run August 8 – September 17, 2023 in Signature’s MAX Theatre. Tickets are available at SigTheatre.org.

“The Bridges of Madison County is about two middle-aged strangers - a farmer’s wife and a National Geographic photographer - who fall deeply in love with each other over four days in August 1965,” said Signature’s Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard. “The short time they share together changes their lives and nourishes their souls forever. Brown’s score is one of the most ravishing in the musical theater canon, and Signature’s MAX Theatre is the perfect space for audiences to experience this intimate drama of erotic discovery. To borrow novelist Robert James Waller’s words, I’m excited 'to enter the realm of gentleness required to understand the story of Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid.' As a director, I hope to foster a gentle, creative process that brings this romance to life with vulnerability and bravery. When our contemporary world is so dominated by fearmongering and hatred, this show reminds us what makes life worth living. As Francesca comes to realize, ‘Love is always better.’”

“Jason Robert Brown is one of the greatest composers working in the American Musical Theatre today, and The Bridges of Madison County has a score that I consider to be one of the absolute best of the last decade” said Signature’s Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “I look forward to welcoming our audiences to experience Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown’s lush adaptation of this beautiful story in an intimate production reimagined specifically for the MAX Theatre by Signature’s Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard. Featuring an outstanding company led by the incomparable Erin Davie and Mark Evans, The Bridges of Madison County is sure to sweep you away.”

The Bridges of Madison County is a soaring musical romance of desire and sacrifice based on the best-selling novel. After marrying an American soldier to escape Italy at the end of World War II, Francesca builds herself a home in Iowa, raising two children and settling into a steady but unremarkable routine. Then one day, she meets Robert, a charismatic photographer, who awakens her passion and changes her life forever. With a gorgeous Tony Award-winning score by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade) and a moving book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman (The Color Purple, The Secret Garden), The Bridges of Madison County is a ravishing story about the choices we make for love.

The Bridges of Madison County will star Erin Davie (Broadway's Diana, Sunday in the Park with George) as Francesca and Mark Evans (Broadway's Waitress, Signtaure's The Fix) as Robert. The cast includes Christopher Bloch (Signature’s Into the Woods, Assassins) as Charlie, Rayanne Gonzales (Signature’s Sweeney Todd, Daphne’s Dive) as Marge, Julia Wheeler Lennon (Signature’s Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods) as Carolyn, Nolan Montgomery (SpeakEasy Stage Company’s The Prom, Slow Burn Theatre Company’s The Little Mermaid) as Michael, Marina Pires (National Tour of On Your Feet, Syracuse Stage's How to Dance in Ohio) as Marian/Chiara/State Fair Singer, and Cullen R. Titmas (Broadway’s The Last Ship, National Tour of Billy Elliot) as Bud. Carla Crawford (St. Mark’s Players’ Gyspy), Tori Gomez (Arena Stage’s My Body, No Choice), Alex Stone (National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof) and Douglas Ullman, Jr. (Off-Broadway’s The Fantasticks) are understudies.

The creative team for The Bridges of Madison County includes Scenic Design by Lee Savage (Signature’s Into the Woods, She Loves Me), Costume Design by Kathleen Geldard (Signature’s Assassins, Billy Elliot), Lighting Design by Jesse Belsky(Signature’s Sweeney Todd, Which Way to the Stage), Sound Design by Eric Norris (Signature’s Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures), and Wig Design by Danna Rosedahl (Ford’s A Trip to Bountiful, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Red Velvet). Casey Kaleba is the Fight Choreographer, Zach Campion is the Dialect Coach, and Chelsea Pace is the Resident Intimacy Consultant and Choreographer. Casting is by Jorge Acevedo. New York Casting is by JZ Casting, Geoff Josselson, CSA & Katja Zarolinski, CSA. Kerry Epstein is the Production Stage Manager, Taryn Friend is the Assistant Stage Manager, Kelsey Jenkins is the Production Assistant, Clancey Yovanovich is the Associate Director, William Yanesh is the Associate Music Director, and Christian D. Henrriquez is the Assistant Lighting Designer.

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