THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Fills Starlight Stage with Tony Award-Winning Music Beginning Today

The two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Bridges of Madison County, brings its undeniable and irresistible tale of romance to Starlight Theatre on June 14-19. One of the most romantic stories ever written, The Bridges of Madison County won 2014 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. This musical adaptation of the best-selling novel and popular film is sure to pull at the heartstrings of Starlight audiences.

Before The Bridges of Madison County graced the Broadway stage in 2014 and before its 1995 run as a hit movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, the love story was a slim book penned in two weeks by an unlikely first-time Iowa novelist, college business professor Robert James Waller. On The New York Times Best Seller list for nearly three years, the book has sold more than 12 million copies and been translated into more than 40 languages.

The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of Iowa housewife Francesca Johnson and her life-changing, four-day whirlwind romance with traveling photographer Robert Kincaid. The national touring musical offers a perspective that differs from the book and movie. There is greater involvement of Francesca's husband and children, as well as the Winterset townspeople, who are often onstage watching the love story unfold. The musical's soulful score draws upon the rich textures of Americana, folk and the sweeping balladry of classic Broadway.

"This is simply a beautiful show with equally beautiful music and lyrics," said Rich Baker, Starlight President and CEO. "It's a heartfelt tale of Midwestern life and love, and it couldn't be a more perfect fit for Starlight's outdoor setting."

The critically acclaimed musical stars Elizabeth Stanley as Francesca. Stanley was last seen as Claire De Loone in the Broadway revival of On the Town, and her other Broadway credits include Dyanne in Million Dollar Quartet, Allison in Cry-Baby, and April in Company. Playing opposite Stanley as photographer Robert Kincaid is Andrew Samonsky, recently seen as Captain Phoebus in the American premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He has been seen on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Scandalous and South Pacific.

The production also features one of Broadway's most accomplished creative teams with music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years), book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, The Color Purple, 'night, Mother) and direction by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, The King & I, The Light in the Piazza). Direction for the touring production was recreated by Tyne Rafaeli (Fiddler on the Roof, The King & I).

The team also includes scenic design by two-time Tony Award winner Michael Yeargan (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific), costume design by six-time Tony Award winner Catherine Zuber (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, The Coast of Utopia), lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Donald Holder (South Pacific, The Lion King), sound design by Jon Weston, arrangements and orchestrations by Jason Robert Brown, and movement by Danny Mefford.

Tickets for The Bridges of Madison County at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $14 to $140. Tickets are available online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight Ticket Office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

Discount prices for groups of 15 or more are available by contacting group sales manager Staci Shute at 816.997.1137 or staci.shute@kcstarlight.com.

Starlight Theatre, a recent winner of the Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), is the largest and oldest performing arts organization in Kansas City and the second-largest outdoor producing theatre in the country. Opened as a theater in 1950 and as a not-for-profit organization in 1951, Starlight presents and produces Broadway musicals and concerts. It also offers extensive community outreach and educational programming, including classes, scholarships and Starlight's Blue Star Awards, one of the largest high school musical theatre award programs in the nation.

Located on 16 acres in Swope Park, Starlight's venue includes rehearsal halls, gift store, club area for dining, concessions, gardens, fountains and a 10-story, climate-controlled stage.

For more information, visit www.kcstarlight.com