Photo Flash: First Look at Palo Alto Players' BRIGHT STAR

Palo Alto Players opens its 2019-20 season with the Peninsula premiere of the new American musical, BRIGHT STAR. Featuring an energetic and unique bluegrass score by award-winning actor, screenwriter and playwright Steve Martin (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Roxanne) and chart-topping singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the '20s and '40s. Palo Alto Players' Artistic Director Patrick Klein directs a cast of 19 local Bay Area actors, with music direction by Daniel Hughes and choreography by Meredith Charlson. BRIGHT STAR runs September 14-29 (preview September 13) at the Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For information or tickets, visit paplayers.org or call 650.329.0891.

Inspired by a real event, BRIGHT STAR tells a beguiling tale that unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina between 1923 and 1945. The arrival of a young soldier just home from World War II sets Alice Murphy, the editor of a southern literary journal, on a journey to understand her past. What she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. Propelled by an ensemble of onstage musicians and dancers, the story weaves together a rich tapestry of deep emotion, beautiful melodies and powerfully moving performances. The 2016 Tony-nominated musical features songs from the 2013 bluegrass album Love Has Come for You, the Grammy-winning collaboration between comedy legend Steve Martin and chart-topping Edie Brickell.

Tickets for BRIGHT STAR can be purchased online at paplayers.org, by phone at 650.329.0891