By Jennifer Mustoe, Craig Mustoe, Hannah Mustoe, Caden Mustoe, Kevin Albrechtson, Jennifer Andelin, and Holly Gould
Invited to Cache Theater Company‘s soft opening (preview night/final dress) for their beautiful Bright Star, Front Row Reviewers brought a bevy of reviewers and guests and this review has contributions from us all. Bright Star, written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell is based on a true story, and tells the tragic love story of Alice Murphy (Lindsey Kelstrom–herself a FRR reviewer) and Jimmy Ray (Jeffrey Hafslund-Nelson), set in the Blue Mountains of the South. The show is accompanied by an amazing pickin’ band that is upstage and stays onstage the whole time.
Kelstrom as Alice Murphy is remarkable. She comes onstage belting “If You Knew My Story” and we are swept away. Bright Star flips back from when intelligent, book nerd, free spirit Alice falls in love with the Jimmy Ray Dobbs, the mayor’s son, to years later when Alice is the editor of the a prominent magazine and meets young newly returned soldier Billy (Daniel Francis). The flipping from the 20’s to the 40’s was slightly concerning to my companions, though Alice’s costumes (by Whitney Metz) and more mature mannerisms helped with this.
Kelstrom’s Alice is wonderful–her ability to go from starry eyed teenager in love to all business editor is great and very believable. Her authentic twangy accent is flawless, and I’m something of an accent snob. Her powerful belt and sweet ballads are stellar and her heart-rending emotions (no spoilers) made me tear up. She is a Cache Valley favorite for good reason–she is the full package.
Hafslund-Nelson’s Jimmy Ray is an excellent partner to Kelstrom and is equally talented showing the youthful man in love with the other-side-of-the-tracks Alice, and as the grown businessman. Each persona is completely different and believable. His beautiful voice, wonderful movement, and the symmetry between him and Kelstrom is amazing. In the scenes with his father, he and Andy Johnson as Mayor Dobbs are remarkable. Hafslund-Nelson is kind to his controlling father–to a point. The crisis moment is satisfying and painful in all the best ways.
Francis as Billy, an enthusiastic would be writer, is a joy to watch. Billy must go through a gamut of emotions and Francis does so authentically. His singing voice is lovely and pure, and his acting is top notch. His duets are especially good and the harmonies are lovely.
Johnson as Mayor Dobbs is a force onstage, his notes powerful and clear, his acting spot on, and his scene as a drunk are at once heart-breaking and gratifying. Dobbs wants his son to marry well and is horrified when he finds out Alice is expecting Jimmy Ray’s child. Dobbs is the baddest of bad guys and we love to hate Johnson. Again, no spoilers here, but he is one bad dude.
Billy, also from the Blue Mountains quite near where Alice and Jimmy Ray are from, comes back from the war to find his school friend, Margo Crawford, played by Elizabeth Spencer (also an FRR reviewer) has grown up a bit, though their love story takes a sweetly long time to come to fruition. Spencer’s solo “Ashville” is brilliant–one of our favorites, and her young lovesick persona is adorable.
Also of note are Lucy (Hillary Peterson), Darryl (Carson Younker), and Mama Murphy (Sandi Gillum.) Peterson’s “Another Round” with the ensemble is a delightful romp and her vocals and dancing are great. Younker is hilarious and has perfect timing for his often sarcastic quips. Gillum, a true Southerner, has great vocals and looks the part of Alice’s mama. Gillum is also the dialect coach and the whole cast really sounds great, a real accomplishment for a community theater production.
The production staff is great and this is a big show. Set design (Jay Richards, Spencer Bott) is several set pieces that are effective but easily moved on and off the stage. Special effects by Nick Miller are surprising (you’ll see what I mean) and well done. Sound design by Kolby Bell works well. Director Tanner Benson gives his actors great movement ideas and staging and blocking, and Acting Coach Annalee Roberts brings a real down-home vibe and believable relationships to the stage. Choreographers Roberts and Karyn Hansen have created some lovely dances to serve as moving backdrops. The lovely melodies are created and enhanced by Music Director Karlee Larsen. The singing is top notch.
From reviewer Albrechtsen: “With Bright Star, a key cast member is the live old time bluegrass band fronted by an amazing fiddler (Clifton Richards) and driven by a banjo player (Kelin Gibbons) channneling Steve Martin, moving seamlessly from old timey clawhammer to the more energetic three-finger style. The small group is a key element in the musical, backing the talented vocalists and maintaining the setting of early century North Carolina.” Other members of the wonderful band: Nick Manning (guitars), Brett McAllister (Viola/violin), Megan Richards (cello), Robyn Peterson (drums), Jim Shaub (bass), and Jay Richards (piano/conductor).
From Reviewer Andelin: “The period costumes and southern accents create a rich story line for me. I was impressed by the emotional rawness of the main characters, especially through solos. One of my guests said that the parts they liked best were “the music, especially the solo voices, and the happy ending. One of my other guests said, “I think it did a great job of engaging the viewer. I couldn’t hardly wait to find out what happened. Almost looked it up in the intermission.”
By Reviewer Holly Gould: “My friend loved the Kellstrom’s voice and said her tone and inflections are a perfect fit for the character. I was taken in emotionally by Jimmy Ray. I felt a strong connection to his character, and felt that he shows real, raw emotions without being over the top. The bluegrass band is professional and perfect.”
In our discussion on the ride home, all of us Mustoes, plus family member Leslie Jackson, were all impressed with the acting, accents, singing, and the wonderful band. Caden, Hannah, and Jennifer are singers and Caden and Hannah are musicians, so the band was especially a delight. Hannah, hailing from the South, said she couldn’t find one small dip away from the authenticity of the dialects. Jackson was delighted with the whole show, and as a Martin fan, thought it was well-written and the performance was just great. We drove from Spanish Fork for this, and it’s well worth the drive.
Though there are some tense spots and an unplanned pregnancy, I think tweens who love musicals and ANYONE who loves Bluegrass, great talent, and beautiful singing, needs to come to Logan and see Bright Star. It is community theater at its finest.
Cache Theatre Company Presents Bright Star By Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
Utah Theatre, 18 W Center St. Logan, UT, 84321
Nov 7-18, 2019 Mon, Thurs-Sat 7:30 PM, Saturday matinees 1:30 PM
Tickets: $15 for students K-college, adults $18
Contact: 435-752-0026 info@cachearts.org
CacheArts Facebook Page
Note: There is a lot of construction that makes it a little hard to get to the theater. Patrons can park in the lot behind the Ellen Eccles and there is entrance access to the parking lot from 100 South and 100 West. Then they walk toward Center Street to enter the theatre from the front where the construction is.
Though Kelstrom and Spencer are part of Front Row Reviewers, all reviewers attending any show that has friends, family members, or employers does not in any way affect our ability to stay unbiased and continue to simply Celebrate the GOOD in the Arts. ~Jennifer Mustoe, CEO
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