is Francesca sick in 'Bridges?'

[Harpz2006]

This is a very random question... I just saw the tour after not having much familiarity with the show/story. Bud asks Francesca worriedly at one point if she went to the doctor while he was away and she sharply says "i'm not sick." My mom said there was a reference to her getting lab tests early in the show, but I missed that. I know she also makes comments about feeling faint due to the heat (to cover up being emotional about Robert). Overall... is the script alluding to her being sick or am I overthinking? Does she live much longer after Robert's death in the book/movie?

 

 

[mikem]

(SPOILERS)

I just saw the tour last night (and was very excited to meet Jason Robert Brown!).  I'm pretty sure that Francesca is not supposed to be sick.  Bud wants to know if Francesca went to the doctor because she is acting strangely, and Francesca's reply is sharp because she knows there's nothing wrong with her and she is being weird because of Robert.  She feels a little guilty about Bud's concern about her and wants to shut down that line of questioning quickly.  I don't remember a lab test reference, but I might have missed it, too. 

 

I found the timeline in the musical after Francesca decides to stay to be confusing.  Bud passed away before their son graduated from medical school, which was probably about 10 - 15 years after the main storyline was completed.  But after he passed away and their two kids were grown and had lives of their own, why didn't Francesca contact Robert?  It didn't seem that Robert had already died at that point, although it was not clear.  If Robert was alive, why didn't she call him?

[Harpz2006]

I loved getting to meet JRB as well. The show was beautifully done!! Agree with all your questions about the end! 

[Auggie27]

Beautiful score, one of the most exquisite but to me the last 12 minutes or so undermine all that's come before.  This telescoping of timelines and life events feels rushed and sucks the air out of the love story, leaving the audience nothing to consider or speculate.  I've never seen a show so tied up in a bow, albeit a dark one, at the end.  We gain nothing, and it feels forced and unsettling.  I've always thought the ending was one reason the word of mouth wasn't stronger. The film at least ends with potent images and a real scene.  This coda in the musical is unsatisfying, ironic considering how it's designed to answer all of our questions -- including those best kept to the discussion on our ride home.