Opening Night! Bright Star, Concert Version

This pre-recorded show is STREAMING FOR 3 NIGHTS ONLY!

Thursday, May 20 – Saturday, May 22
8pm start time each night
Run time: about 1.5 hours

Rating-PG (Some adult themes)

Buy your streaming pass now at https://caryhs.booktix.com/ for Cary High’s virtual Spring Musical: Bright Star, Concert Version.

A $20 ticket gets you a pass to stream the program on one device for one night for everyone in your household to enjoy. Be sure to get logged in well before the 8pm start time so you don’t miss a thing. Tickets are available online for each night’s show right up until the 8pm show time.

Click here to learn more about how to watch the streaming video.

The show will only be viewable at the designated times and nights. It is not available to download or stream at a later time. Don’t miss your chance to see this excellent production!

About the show:

Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony®-nominated score by 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. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past—and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. With beautiful melodies and powerfully moving characters, the story unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion. An uplifting theatrical journey that holds you tightly in its grasp, BRIGHT STAR is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful.

BRIGHT STAR, CONCERT VERSION the smaller version of the original musical by the same name. The Concert Version was first performed in Dec. 2012 and later developed into the Broadway version in 2016. It is an 80-minute version, with a few less songs, less characters, and less dialogue.

About the CHS production:

Promo Video: https://youtu.be/wMrEmGeS_jE

The CHS Performing Arts department has done an amazing job producing this video during the COVID pandemic. The actors first gathered at the school in small groups to record the audio while maintaining social distances and wearing masks. Then each actor individually filmed their parts at home in front of a green screen. Finally, CHS Performing Arts alumnus and video editor extraordinaire, Michael Shorb, brought the entire production together through the magic of digital editing. 

NOTE: In this video production some of the dialogue is heard with the actors off-screen. There are also multiple segments of the story that flashback to earlier times. If you’re not familiar with the actors’ voices, the characters, or the story, you may find it easier to follow along if you review the plot details before watching the show. (Warning: spoilers!)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Star_(musical)#Plot


Director

Mrs. Kristin McCormick

Musical Director

Mr. Ed Yasick

Assistant Director

Mr. Jackson Wellborn

Stage Manager & Set Designer

Abbey Ford

Costume, Makeup, & Set Designer

Mary Ford

Sound Designer & Mixer

Liam Vaughan

Video Editor

Michael Shorb


CAST:

AliceNatalie Mitvalsky

Alice at age 36-37 is an editor of a southern literary magazine; intelligent, attractive, professional – but with an air of melancholy. Young Alice at age 16-17 is rebellious, high-spirited, adventurous – looking to break out of small-town life and experience the world. 

Jimmy RaySam Bryant

Jimmy Ray in his early 20s is Mayor Dobbs’ son and young Alice’s beau; handsome, boyishly charming, well-built and intelligent; from a family of wealth and power and is being groomed by his father for a similar future in the family business; an independent thinker who is not afraid to stand up to his father for what he believes in; he has a sense of personal responsibility and morality as well as a deep reserve of passion and emotion. 

Billy CaneEvan Szypulski

A young soldier returning home from WWII; an aspiring young writer; fresh, open, optimistic, charming, and a little naïve.

MargoMaddie Alger

A small-town bookstore owner; a childhood friend of Billy’s who now harbors romantic feelings towards him; a natural beauty with a keen intellect.

LucyAmarah Din

A junior editor at a literary magazine. An ambitious, professional young “modern” career woman of the 1940’s. Strong, forthright and provocative with a sharp sense of humor.

Daddy MurphyBen Goodridge

Alice’s father; an authoritative and a stern disciplinarian; devoutly religious, hard-working, a poor but proud farmer.

Mamma MurphyAlexis Cope

Alice’s mother. A caretaker to her family and her rural community. A warm, loving, sensible woman. Hardworking, with great inner strength and compassion.

MayorJackson Chauvaux

The Mayor of Zebulon; a political and financial powerbroker – distinguished, an imposing and controlling presence; has a genuine interest in protecting his son’s future and his family name, but in doing so, is ultimately pushed to a point of extreme and irrevocable cruelty.

Daddy Cane/Darryl/StanfordEthan Divon

  • Daddy Cane: Billy’s father. A widower. Spry, good looking. Kind hearted, if a bit lonely.
  • Darryl: An assistant at a literary magazine. Funny, with a dry and officious sense of humor. Insecure, and perhaps a bit socially awkward, but endearing and innately likeable.
  • Stanford: Loyal assistant to Mayor Josiah Dobbs.