EPHRAIM — For the final production of the season, the Snow College Theatre Program has put on Bright Star, a musical written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. The show first opened on Broadway in 2016, and has made its way around various stages ever since, with its bluegrass music and heartwarming story. Centering around a newspaper editor Alice Murphy, played by Hayley Rowley, Bright Star is a deep look at love and loss, pain and joy, generational trauma, and how telling stories can be healing. As a long-time theatre critic and a licensed trauma therapist, this production directed by Jenn Chandler hit every note.
What is most beautiful about seeing this production at Snow College is seeing arts education in action. As Rowley entered the stage surrounded by the exquisite set design by Ari Fitzgerald and a backdrop of ambiance created by the light designer Ari Jameson with the best stage lighting I’ve seen this year, I could see the magic woven into every ounce and how the theatre students are getting a fine education. In the opening song “If You Knew My Story”, Rowley’s character Alice states the line “My heaven and my hell.” This line foreshadows the fact the evening will bring many ups and downs, and all of the production’s elements, from choreography to music to costume, reflect this. Because this is an educational production, the students are all involved in every step, and the beauty shining through that storytelling is palpable.
Rowley’s character Alice goes through such pain and trauma and loss that her character development is intense. As a therapist, I saw the pain in her, especially right before the end of Act One when she is separated from her child. This scene exemplified magnificence in acting and directing showing such skill in not only Rowley’s talents, but all the characters in the scene. It highlights Chandler’s skill as a director to handle such difficult subject matter in a tender fashion.
Other actors also had standout moments, and I could spend the whole review discussing just these elements. Nick Ducos as the Mayor played the villain well, dark and angry and set in his ways, yet steeped in the traditions of the time. Contrasting that with both Daddy Murphy played by Joshua Peterson and Mama Murphy played by Aubree Hewlett, who learn from their major mistakes and have a deep shift by the end. Jimmy Ray, played by Chase Summers, has a tender connection to Alice and an initial innocence that becomes laced with pain throughout the show. Billy, played by Jackson Davis, is perfectly cast as the young aspiring writer that digs deep into the heart of Alice, the more hardened editor.
Focusing only on the acting elements of Bright Star, while deserved for their skills and scope, would do a disservice to the rest of what made this show a masterpiece of storytelling. The art of good theatre is understanding how it takes a full department, including the technical aspects, to bring the story to life. The best way to document this is describing the train scene of at the end of Act One. In this scene, the choreography by Hannah Gay, full technical direction by Michael Francis, lighting design and set all came together with the blocking and direction in a haunting fashion. Previous productions, especially professional ones with more funding, used more costly measures to display the image of a train. Director Chandler used the ensemble and simple wood boxes to be the train and with well-placed lights, movement, and sound this climatic moment was even more intense. This impact brought the full emotion of the story right to my heart in a way that I have not experienced before, and it is a story I have loved each time I have seen it.
The bluegrass music of Bright Star is elegant, and I am so glad Snow College partners with the music department gave their music students a chance to gain experience playing live for the production under the direction of music director Brian Stucki. I recently attended a workshop with a Broadway pit performer who talked about the experience of orchestrating percussion, and she shared how she started by playing in college productions, just like what Snow is providing here. While many theatres still use prerecorded music, the ten on stage musicians in this production elevated the level of professionalism and storytelling art in a way that would not have happened with a recording. It also helped these musicians further their own careers. I happened to see Bright Star with the original cast, and I comfortably state the $12 ticket value in Ephraim with the magic and story-telling was worth just as much as the Broadway level price I paid.
Costume designing a show like Bright Star is complicated because the show goes back and forth between a 20 year span of time. Costume Coordinator Jess Wallace did an impeccable job showing the difference between the eras, and helping her students know how to sew costumes adjustable to quick changes, many of which happen on stage. The seamless changeover of costumes was actually a joy to watch, and added to the beauty of the story.
Two things make me sad about my experience. One is that Ephraim is far enough away from where I live that I did not get here until closing weekend, so I am publishing this too late for word of mouth. The second is that it remains difficult to get some Utah audiences to try new places and new to them shows. I really hope that Snow College remains willing to push the envelope and do productions like Bright Star. The magic and storytelling I saw on stage was such a great education, and everyone from the main star to the very last ensemble member to each technician involved was getting a fine education not only in acting but all operations of the business of theatre. For $12 and a tank of gas, you are getting Broadway quality theatre. Go see their shows next season. You will not be disappointed.
MORE INFO: Bright Star plays a final performance tonight March 28th at 7:30pm. For more information about the Snow College Theatre Program, see https://snow.edu/academics/fineart/theatre/upcoming.html.