MTP Homespun "Bright Star" Lives Up to Name

By Paul Hyde/Anderson Observer

The Mill Town Players pull out all the stops for the South Carolina premiere of “Bright Star,” the homespun, tear-jerking musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

This is a dream production with an outstanding leading cast, an ensemble that creates glowing harmonies,Hannah Thompson is dynamic in the leading role of Alice in the Mill Town Players’ “Bright Star.” photo credit: Escobar photographyand an onstage band that gives the show an exuberant spirit and momentum.

You’ll want to get your tickets soon, so you can return for a second time before it all concludes on Oct. 6. It’s that good.

Mill Town always does fine work, but Mary Nickles’ staging of “Bright Star” takes the Pelzer-based theater to the next level. In addition to the superb cast and onstage band, the choreography (credited to Nickles, Mark Spung-Wiles and Terrie Poore) reaches new heights in inventiveness and polish.

One other thing you should know: The Broadway cast recording of the show, with the toe-tapping sounds of fiddle and banjo prominent, won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It’s easy to see why: The catchy music by Martin and Brickell – a combination of bluegrass, country, southern gospel and rockabilly – is irresistible.

The story centers on Alice, a tough-minded editor of a Southern literary journal in 1940s Asheville, North Carolina. Flashbacks to the 1920s show Alice as a spunky teen, a dreamer with a rebellious streak and a love for literature and Jimmy Ray Dobbs, the son of a small-town mayor.

The heart of the show is the rough road Alice traveled in between and the heart-wrenching sacrifices she made.

Ultimately, it’s a story of redemption, of lives torn apart and made whole again. It aspires to the best sort of hopeful, three-hankie ending.

The show enjoyed a respectable stint on Broadway but deserved a longer run. Perhaps it was too heartfelt for New York, which prefers gaudy spectacle or edgy irreverence. In the South, the land of Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers, a sentimental and emotionally wrought yarn like “Bright Star” is not at all unfamiliar.

Nickles brings energy, focus and clarity to a musical that could become confusing, toggling between the 1920s and 40s.

The four young leading characters are vocally and dramatically superb. 

Hannah Thompson, as Alice, is a dynamic and sympathetic presence, shifting easily from ingenue to commanding adult, her voice soaring on such tunes as “At Long Last.”

As Jimmy Ray, John Mark Elliott is a young, lanky, likeable leading man with suave vocals.

Seth Crawford radiates earnestness and youthful hopes as Billy, a solder returning from World War II. Kelsey Crews is charming and irrepressible in the role of Billy’s friend Margo. Both sing appealingly.

Will Ragland, the Mill Town Players’ executive artistic director, plays the scheming small-town mayor, and Ragland has never been fiercer on stage. Dressed like a cross between Colonel Sanders and Tennessee Williams’ Big Daddy, Ragland is the very picture of the bombastic, self-serving and self-righteous politician of southern lore.

And then there’s some pleasing comic relief provided by the nimble Aaron Pennington (as Daryl), Mark Spung-Wiles (Max) and Hannah Morton (Lucy). Morton shines in the song “Another Round.” 

Rod McClendon is warmly endearing as Billy’s well-meaning father.

It’s nice to see former state Rep. Phyllis Henderson in the cast. She and Ken Thomason offer fine contributions as Alice’s parents.

Music director Joshua C. Morton elicits shimmering harmonies from the ensemble and a buoyant performance from the onstage band.

Ragland has outdone himself in his scenic design – a wooden raked stage and a bucolic backdrop of stars and the Blue Ridge mountains.

Danae Harris’ period costumes could hardly be better. Tony Penna’s lighting design is pitch-perfect.

My one caveat about the production is that Brickell’s graceful lyrics are not given their full justice. The best model of how it should be, however, is Ragland, the veteran actor, making every word count.

Quibbles aside, “Bright Star” is a must-see production. For tickets, call the Mill Town Players at 864-947-8000 or visit the milltownplayers.org.

Paul Hyde, a longtime Upstate journalist, writes about the arts for the Anderson Observer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.