Photo courtesy of Marquette Theatre - Instagram
Bright Star at Marquette Theatre
The cast performs 'Bright Star' at Marquette University's Helfaer Theatre.
I returned to my alma mater of Marquette University to see Bright Star, directed by Karen Estrada with music direction by Ryan Cappleman. The shockingly funny and down-to-earth story of breaking and mending hearts was brought to life with a swinging rhythm, paying tribute to its bluegrass roots while leaning into an abstract understanding of how to bridge one’s past with their present story.
The musical follows two paths: that of Billy Cane, played by Nate Rodriguez, a southern writer trying to forge a career for himself in the 1940s after returning home from World War II, and that of Alice Murphy, played by Erin Fricker, a young woman in the 1920s seeking to chart her own way despite the confines of her life at home in Zebulon, North Carolina.
The two eras were markedly different, if not by the slight costume alterations then by the movement styles and dances choreographed by Kelly Anderson. The moments that brought us to the past, telling of Alice and Jimmy Ray Dobbs, played by Michael Kratzer, featured dances that lived outside the world of reality. Fricker and Kratzer grounded the movements, fitting the abstract to their very real storytelling, both as individuals and as a pair. Their combined stage presence in songs like “What Could Be Better” showcased a chemistry earned by giving way for each other as performers as well as characters. Kratzer played Jimmy Ray with a heartbreaking honesty, ever the hopeful—perhaps naive—young man with an overflowing cup of love.
Meanwhile, the side of the story set in the 1940s was full of classic line- and square-dancing, numbers like “Another Round” providing a joviality that made us feel as though we’d been plopped down onto the wood plank floors ourselves. It was in moments like these that the ensemble had a chance to stand out, and they provided lively support to the story throughout.
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Transitions were made smooth by this ensemble, accompanied by a creative use of lights by designer Nathalie Soré. She placed the two worlds in unique spots and honed-in on emotional beats. The lead up and end to Act One was punctuated with striking finality. “A Man’s Gotta Do-Reprise,” narrowed the setting to that dim train car, and it left the audience in shock (my mouth remained agape well into when the house lights came up).
The budding relationship between Margo, played by Naomi Kriege, and Billy Cane was wonderfully awkward and charming. Kriege and Rodriguez exuded warmth in the shy, slow, and sweet blossoming of small-town love, while Kriege brought a boldness to the role as well, her vocals shining in “Asheville.” Rodriguez was full of charisma, his unassuming smile taking us by surprise as he made the stage his own.
The two employees at Asheville’s Journal, Daryl and Lucy, played by Will Reames and Kynkade McLachlan respectively, anchored much of the comedy throughout the show. Reames supplied his character with an unending well of attitude, his brashness almost as shocking as some of the story’s plot twists, and McLachlan carried herself with boundless chaotic energy, full of southern charm.
Fricker switched between the two sides of Alice’s story with grace, and her voice shone like a light on a warm southern day in some moments while finding a haunting register in others. Her heart-rending tone in “Please, Don’t Take Him” made the release in “At Long Last” all the more joyful.
Relationships transcend the years, and stories stand the test of time in this musical which is as boisterous and funny as it is intimate and brave.
