“Bright Star” is a powerful and fun bluegrass musical guaranteed to take the audience on a journey of love, redemption and perseverance. 

The opening song, “If You Knew My Story,” performed by Allie Jones, playing Alice Murphy, instantly draws in the audience. Throughout the production, Jones’s vocal prowess shines through every song. Even though she’s an absolute showstopper, Jones never overpowers anyone she duets with. 

The most stand-out performance is Gavin Wilson, who plays Jimmy Ray, in “Heartbreaker.” This is one of the lowest moments in the musical and Wilson’s weeping and voice catching on every word is deeply moving. 

Not every song quite hits the mark, with “She’s Gone” featuring some harmonies that don’t quite mesh together. However, these moments are few and far between and will quickly transition into another toe-tapping, catchy song.

However, the story does fall victim to predictability. The musical’s plot twist becomes relatively obvious about halfway through Act 1, so when it finally comes time for the big reveal, it doesn’t leave the audience in shock and awe. 

Even though the musical jumps between the 1920s and the 1940s, it’s immediately clear through lighting which period the audience is in.

During the 1920s, color floods the stage, reminiscent of a weathered photograph. Considering most of the musical’s heaviest moments occur in the past, it makes sense to do this to add extra drama and tension to a scene. 

Conversely, during the 1940s, the stage is mostly lit with white and tends to spotlight the actors, only using color to highlight dramatic moments. 

While the main characters go about their lives, so too does the ensemble, adding fun “blink and you’ll miss it moments” to the background. This makes the various towns seem all the more alive. This is most obvious in “Another Round,” where other patrons of the bar drunkenly stumble across the stage, wonderfully adding to the craziness of an already hectic scene.

Adding extra depth to the performances was the presence of a live bluegrass band on stage. It was a deliberate decision to have them on stage, as opposed to in the orchestra pit, adding even more life to the stage.

“Bright Star” was well worth a trip to the Fowler Center and deserved its standing ovation. I eagerly await the next A-State Theatre production.

Final Score: 8/10

Categories: Arts & Entertainment