On April 9, I attended one of ETSU Theatre and Dance’s sold-out shows of the Appalachian love story musical, “Bright Star.”
The musical was performed in the Bert C. Bach Theatre, and it was my first time watching a theatre production there. As a black box studio theatre, there were rows of chairs on three of the sides and the stage in the center of everything. This makes for a very immersive experience, where audiences can feel like they are a part of the story as well.
To provide context, “Bright Star” is a fairly new musical, only debuting on Broadway six years ago. It is inspired by a true story, according to Director Bobby Funk.
“In the late 1800’s, a Civil War Veteran discovered a five-day old baby who had dropped 50 feet in a basket in the Big River near Irondale, Missouri,” Funk explained in the director’s notes. “He and his wife nursed the child back to health, and when the mother could not be found, they adopted and raised it as their own.”
“Bright Star” parallels the love stories of Billy Cane and Margo, as well as Alice Murphy and Jimmy Ray Dobbs. The show is set in North Carolina, with mentions of recognizable cities such as Asheville, Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill.
One of the strongest aspects of the show was the Appalachian culture and values represented at its core, but not in a stereotypical way. The costumes, music and stage design all reflected the region and its representation for what it truly was from the 1920’s to the mid-1940’s. The live bluegrass band above the stage livened up the performances, bringing the Appalachian atmosphere to life.
In my opinion, Alice Murphy (played by Taylor Phillips) was one of the stand-out performers of the whole show. Phillips is a junior at ETSU, set to graduate next year with a bachelor’s of fine arts in musical theatre and minor in dance. Her passion for theatre poured through her stage presence, especially in the song “Please Don’t Take Him.” Without spoiling the show, Murphy goes through a tumultuous period of her life, being forced to take directions not of her own volition, but to save face for others.
All of the cast and crew deserve recognition for this show, though. The show was cohesive with stunning set design and perfect execution. Actors would command the crowd’s attention by bringing the scene to right in front of their faces, and they would also exit the stage in one place and quickly appear somewhere else making it more interactive.
“Bright Star” was a strong conclusion to ETSU Theatre and Dance’s 2021-2022 season, which leaves me excited for what is to come. The program handed out at the performance promotes the familiar “Little Shop of Horrors” for next season (pending the acquisition of rights). I believe that if this show was a testament to anything, it would be a testament that ETSU Theatre is bigger and better than ever before.
For more information on upcoming seasons and news, visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/theatre/.
