Following the success of Chicago and Noises Off, our theatre program is soon to present Bright Star, a story about family, heartbreak, hope, and love. Bright Star takes place in North Carolina and flips between the years 1945 and 1923. The show is to star Leilah Huttner (12) as the leading role of Alice Murphy. Alice is an intelligent, attractive, and professional editor of a Southern literary magazine. In her youth, she falls for the Mayor’s son, Jimmy Ray Dobbs, who will be portrayed by Andrew Gardner (11). When Alice conceives a child, Jimmy’s father, Mayor Josiah Dobbs, played by Jack Spillane (10), has ulterior motives. In the present day, a young soldier, Billy Cane, Jakob Alefosio (11, OSCA), arrives home from war just to find out his mother has passed. Margo Crawford, Claire Severson (12 ), is a longtime friend of Billy’s, and she encourages him to continue writing. This leads Billy to travel to the Asheville Southern Journal to publish his works, where he comes face to face with Daryl Ames, Carter Gaiss (11), and Lucy Grant, Addyson Shoup (12). Just when the duo is about to shove Billy out the door, Alice stops them. There is a brief exchange between Billy and Alice, and soon Billy is now working at the Journal. As the story progresses, the audience discovers more and more about Alice’s past and how it ties into the present.
The cast is currently in rehearsals for this musical, and so far, it’s been a blast. “I am enjoying Bright Star rehearsals and my favorite thing is to see how all of the songs are coming together,” says Raven Hale (12), who plays Florence, one of Margo’s friends. She continues to say, “It’s very fun to listen to the songs and learn the harmonies. Everyone is working their butts off and we’re only a week into rehearsals and it sounds amazing.”
Cosette McCulloch (12) states that she is most excited to “[B]ring to life the beautiful and emotional story while being able to pair with some of the most beautifully written music ever.” Bright Star is not only inspired by a true story, but the writers Edie Brickell and Steve Martin also used inspiration from their bluegrass album “Love Has Come for You.”
Izzy Lazzarinetti (11) exclaims, “I’m so excited for it. I’m also very eager to see it all come together and see how Petz is envisioning it all.”
More members of the cast include: Hailey Whitehurst (12), Nate McAteer (12), Ava Mobratten (12), Jennalyn Urquico (12), Sabrina Scarborough (11), Aaron Alonso (10), Bailey Thomasson (9), Riley Brown (9), Noelle Hopper (9), and Brielle Scarborough (9). Alongside are Cole Corbin (11, Canyon)with Griffin Davis (11, Valencia).
Bright Star opens March 28th and closes April 5th. For updates on tickets and performances, make sure to follow @mustangtheatrecompany on Instagram.