ANCHOR INTRO: The Old Globe Theater has helped bring many new musicals to the stage. It continues this tradition with Bright Star, which opens Friday. The musical is stirring extra buzz because it is the first by actor/writer/comedian/musician and Renaissance man Steve Martin and singer/composer Edie Brickell. The two recently collaborated on a Grammy award-winning album. The play was brought to the Globe by its artistic director Barry Edelstein. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando looks at what went into creating this new musical, and talks to Steve Martin about his lifelong love of musical theater. The Old Globe is excited about Bright Star. At a press conference two weeks ago, artistic director Barry Edelstein gave some background on the how the project came to life. And they did. Edie Brickell recalls how it started for her. Now she says it’s been one of the best experiences of her life. Steve Martin expressed similar appreciation for the process. When I sat down with him, I reminded him of a quote he had made about having accidentally fallen into stand up comedy. I wanted to know if writing a musical was just as accidental or was it something he had always planned for. TAG: Bright Star opens Friday at the Old Globe Theater and runs through November 2. Watch for Beth’s behind the scenes video tonight on Evening Edition.
'Bright Star'
World Premiere, Sept. 13 - Nov. 2
Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre
Production Credits
Music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Lyrics by Edie Brickell
Book by Steve Martin
Based on an original story by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Directed by Walter Bobbie
Choreographer, Josh Rhodes
Musical supervisor, Peter Asher
Musical director and vocal arrangements, Rob Berman
Orchestrator, August Eriksmoen
Scenic design by Eugene Lee
Costume design by Jane Greenwood
Lighting design by Japhy Weideman
Sound design by Nevin Steinberg
The Old Globe Theater has helped bring many new musicals to the stage. It continues this tradition with "Bright Star," which opens Friday. The musical is stirring extra buzz because it is the first by actor/writer/comedian/musician and Renaissance man Steve Martin and singer/composer Edie Brickell. The two recently collaborated on a Grammy award-winning album. The play was brought to the Globe by its artistic director, Barry Edelstein.
The Old Globe is excited about "Bright Star" — and for good reason. It comes from award-winning screenwriter and playwright Martin ("Picasso at the Lapin Agile," "Roxanne") and chart-topping singer-songwriter Brickell. It's a world premiere American musical inspired by their Grammy Award-winning collaboration “Love Has Come For You.”
The musical features nearly 20 new songs — Americana with a touch of rock — and tells a beguiling tale that unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina from 1923 to 1945. Billy Cane, a young soldier just home from World War II, meets Alice Murphy, the brilliant editor of a southern literary journal. Together they discover a powerful secret that alters their lives. Tony Award-winning director Walter Bobbie (Broadway’s "Chicago") makes his Globe debut.
At a news conference two weeks ago, Edelstein explained that he had known Martin for years and asked him about a musical the actor/writer/comedian had mentioned to him. It was a project Martin was working on with Brickell, with whom he had just completed an album.
Martin and Brickell cited a lifelong love of Broadway musicals. Martin even admitted that "The Music Man" was one of the first albums he ever bought and that he memorized all the songs, including the opening one that he calls early rap.
"Bright Star" opens Friday at the Old Globe Theatre and runs through Nov. 2.
