Tale of family and home, love and redemption to sweep Lees-91探花 Summer Theatre stage in “Bright Star”
When describing this year’s lineup of Lees-91探花 Summer Theatre productions, Director Gabriel Vanover settled on the phrase, “a love letter to North Carolina.” This year all three productions pay homage to the state through music, setting, history, or tradition. For the second show of the season, “Bright Star,” music and setting root the story in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, creating a unique theatergoing experience that lovers of theatre and the mountains alike will not want to miss.
Written and composed by actor and comedian Steve Martin and his long-time collaborator Edie Brickell, “Bright Star” is a musical set in the Blue Ridge Mountains and inspired by the true incident of the Iron Mountain Baby. Although inspired by true events, Vanover said what will really resonate with audiences are the show’s themes of family and home.
A tale of love and redemption told by jumping between the 1920s and 1940s, the story begins when young World War II veteran Billy Crane meets Alice Murphy, the editor of a southern literary journal. The pair discover a secret with the power to alter their lives and must determine how to move forward. Along with the setting, the Tony-award winning score roots the show and the story in the mountains.
“The score does not sound like a typical Broadway score. Some of the music that appears in the show was on one of Edie Brickell and Steve Martin’s albums called ‘Love Has Come for You.’ There was a song on there called ‘Sarah Jane and the Iron Mountain Baby,’ and that ended up developing into this whole musical,” Vanover said. “The music is definitely bluegrass-inspired and has a nod to mountain music. Compared with things people have seen at Summer Theatre before, this is going to be very different than the typical musical style we produce here.”
There will be two matinee performances of “Bright Star” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 12. In addition, there will be four evening performances of the show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 6; Friday, July 7; Saturday, July 8; and Tuesday, July 11. Ticket prices are as follows:
Premier
- Adult: $43 per person
- Student/child: $20 per person
- Employee: $21 per person
- Employee’s children: $18 per person
Standard
- Adult: $38 per person
- Student/child: $18 per person
