By Foster Nicholas | Reporter
From March 25 to April 3, the Waco Civic Theatre will be presenting showings of the musical “Bright Star” written by Waco native Steve Martin.
“Inspired by a true story and featuring a Tony-nominated score by Waco native Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Broadway’s ‘Bright Star’ tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. An uplifting theatrical journey, ‘Bright Star’ is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful,” the Waco Civic Theatre wrote.
The show is inspired by the folktale of the iron mountain baby, the story of a baby being thrown off of a train in a suitcase and surviving. Martin and Brickell worked on this show for over eight years and recorded two albums for the show that ultimately reeled in a Grammy award.
“Anytime Steve Martin is mentioned in Waco it’s no surprise. After hearing that one of his productions will be in Waco I thought to myself, ‘it just feels right’,” Waco native Sue Boyd said.
Since the Waco Civic Theatre displays a theater in the round setting, audiences will be surrounding the stage. This will allow the actors to interact with the audience more and move more without being distracting.
“The theater in the round is so interesting because you can’t look away for a moment because it feels like they are acting just for you,” Boyd said.
The musical is uplifting and aims to provide audiences with raw emotions and a feel-good story. Lyrics like, “someone will put you on a pedestal, someone will tell you you’re incredible,” and, “even though I stumble, even though I fall, you’ll never see me stumble, you’ll never see me fall,” pull at the audiences heart strings and help audiences relate to the acting on stage.
“As someone who has tried writing songs, the subtle comedy and heart-wrenching lyrics really get me,” songwriter and Waco local Jessica Carns said. “Growing up in Waco, it’s incredible to see the hometown hero go on to do great things.”
In this show Martin’s unique comedy is brought to life from the page to stage that all audiences don’t want to miss. Tickets are available on the theatre’s website. There will be seven shows and tickets are still available.
The Waco Civic Theatre is bringing a piece of Steve Martin back home with the production of “Bright Star.” The heartwarming and hilarious musical is something Baylor students and Wacoans won’t want to miss.
