BWW TV: Looking Back at BRIGHT STAR's Opening Night!

By: Aug. 14, 2019
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.



The sun is gonna shine today because its the birthday of the legendary actor and comedian Steve Martin! In honor of the occasion, we're looking back at his Tony-nominated musical Bright Star that he wrote the score for with Edie Brickell. Get a peek inside the show's opening night with Martin and Brickell alongside cast members including Carmen Cusack, Paul Alexander Nolan, and more! Check out the full video!

Bright Star, with direction by Tony Award® winner Walter Bobbie and choreography by Josh Rhodes, began performances on Thursday, February 25th, 2016 at Broadway's Cort Theatre, and opened officially on Thursday, March 24th. It went on to win the 2016 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and Best Score and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music. It also received five 2016 Tony Awards nominations, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Lead Actress in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations. The production played its final Broadway performance on Sunday, June 26, after 30 previews and 109 regular performances.

Upon closing, the show's producer Joey Parnes stated "So much of Bright Star's beauty comes from the fact that it is utterly free of irony. In these cynical times, this quality proved to be totally refreshing to audience members, and also created a unique challenge in attracting them. I am so proud of this show, and I am glad that Steve, Edie and Walter, and this incredible company, brought its unique spirit to our city, if only for a while."

Bright Star starred Carmen Cusack as Alice, a role she originated in Bright Star's world premiere production. She was joined by co-stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Tony Award® nominee Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Tony Award®nominee Stephen Bogardus, three-time Tony Award® nominee Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Tony Award® nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, along with Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Patrick Cummings, Sandra DeNise, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, Michael X. Martin, William Michals, Tony Roach, Sarah Jane Shanks and William Youmans.



Videos