Florida Studio Theatre Extends Brickell And Martin's BRIGHT STAR

Due to audience demand, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the extension of its opening Winter Mainstage production, Bright Star, which was nominated for five Tony Awards and won the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music. Called "Magical. Romantic. Pure." by the New York Post, Bright Star tells an uplifting tale about family, enduring love, and the power of forgiveness. With Music, Book, and Story by Steve Martin and Music, Lyrics, and Story by Edie Brickell, Bright Star has been held over through Saturday, January 11 in FST's Gompertz Theatre. Tickets range from $36-59 and are now on sale at floridastudiotheatre.org, or by calling (941) 366-9000.

Inspired by a true story, Bright Star follows the lives of Alice Murphy, a brilliant literary editor with a painful secret, and Billy Cane, a young soldier just home from World War II who wants to be a published writer. When Billy makes his way to The Asheville Southern Journal, the literary magazine Alice manages, to submit his stories for publication, Alice feels an uncanny connection with him. Their encounter inspires Alice to embark on a journey to understand her past, and what she discovers has the power to transform both of their lives.

Bright Star sheds light on Alice's past via flashbacks, and the audience learns that, as a young woman, Alice was forbidden from being with the man she loved, Jimmy Ray. "Ultimately, the show is about love lost and found," said Paul Helm, the Music Director and pianist for Bright Star.

"Bright Star pulls at your heart strings and reminds you how simple and dynamic life can be, especially when it is at its most fragile," added Blake Price, who plays Jimmy Ray, young Alice's love interest, in Bright Star.

"This musical is about our basic human longing for connection, love, resolve, and for reconciliation," shared Kate Alexander, FST's Associate Director At-Large and the Director of Bright Star. "The characters are warm and full of the life's complexities, and the music is beautiful and touches us profoundly."

Audiences and critics alike are getting swept up in Bright Star's heartfelt story and stirring music. Audiences are calling Bright Star "Spectacular," "Warm and Winning" and "Mesmerizing." According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the show "Instantly grabs your heart" and "wins you over from the show's opening notes."

Now extended through January 11 in FST's Gompertz Theatre, Bright Star is a refreshing Broadway musical with moving melodies and engaging characters. Tickets range from $36-59 and are now on sale at floridastudiotheatre.org, or by calling (941) 366-9000.

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