Bright Star
Closed 2h 30m
Bright Star
84

Bright Star NYC Reviews and Tickets

84%
(1006 Ratings)
Positive
89%
Mixed
9%
Negative
2%
Members say
Entertaining, Delightful, Great singing, Original, Great staging

About the Show

In this musical by actor-writer Steve Martin and '80s pop icon Edie Brickell, a young man returns from WWII to his North Carolina home and uncovers dark secrets about his past.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (1,006)

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82 Reviews | 17 Followers
95
Exquisite, Original, Resonant, Absorbing, Great singing

See it if you have a chance, closes Sunday! If you like a good story.

Don't see it if You are annoyed by bluegrass music.

153 Reviews | 44 Followers
95
Enchanting, Entertaining, Great writing, Refreshing, Great singing

See it if you enjoy folk music and great story-telling.

Don't see it if you are bothered by folk music.

70 Reviews | 10 Followers
95
Delightful, Enchanting, Refreshing, Original

See it if You enjoy original, magical theater.

Don't see it if Just see it!!

91 Reviews | 16 Followers
95
Delightful, Great acting, Romantic, Original, Great staging

See it if you like original, sweet, romantic stories staged simply yet masterfully. With great acting and singing and an original score.

Don't see it if you want to see a rightfully Tony nominated show and performance that is up against the seemingly unstoppable Hamilton.

209 Reviews | 77 Followers
95
Delightful, Enchanting, Romantic, Absorbing, Great singing

See it if It was great. The music was old-timey. The love stories were heart warming. There was a twist where the two stories merged. And the

Don't see it if second act opened with Steve Martin playing a tune with the band. It shwoed humanity at its worst and its best.

118 Reviews | 21 Followers
95
Absorbing, Entertaining, Refreshing, Delightful, Great singing

See it if you like fun music and a good story

Don't see it if you don't love bluegrass

81 Reviews | 13 Followers
95
Absorbing, Ambitious, Exquisite, Entertaining, Clever

See it if You want to see a good and different story

Don't see it if You hate musicals but this is worth trying even if this is so

73 Reviews | 5 Followers
95
Delightful, Refreshing, Romantic, Great acting

See it if Love a good love story, emotions, folk music.

Don't see it if You like cheesy humor, sappy love stories, or folk music.

Critic Reviews (68)

Talkin' Broadway
March 24th, 2016

"Despite the vibrant life pulsating from the bluegrass that underscores 'Bright Star' the overwhelming feeling that emanates from this new musical is the exhaustion of cliché...The chief problem here is that, outside of the delightful music, there's nothing new in either the story or the telling of it that energizes the drama...Cusack is a coruscating force of nature as Alice...It's not enough to elevate the evening above the pedestrian."
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CurtainUp
March 30th, 2016

"'Bright Star' is unlikely to become part of the canon of groundbreaking musicals with memorably meaningful stories. But, it's chockablock with assets to make for an enjoyable, feel-good two hours...So give in to 'Bright Star's' charms, as I did, and let the nitpickers complain. Yes, it's headed from the get-go to an inevitably happy ending that relies on some pretty far-fetched contrivances...But with Carmen Cusack as Alice, this is your chance to see a-star-is-born Broadway debut."
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TheaterScene.net
March 31st, 2016

"'Bright Star' rises—just barely—above Hallmark Network romance level thanks to its energetic score...and an astonishing, charismatic performance by Carmen Cusack...The problem is that an evening of bluegrass and banjo strumming can verge on the monotonous...Brickell’s lyrics also tend toward the repetitious and trite...Walter Bobbie keeps the pace moving without stinting on the drama or comedy. His first-rate production almost makes the surprising plot devices credible."
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Theater Pizzazz
April 1st, 2016

"The lively hootenanny, hand- and thigh-slapping choreography is accomplished by the talents of Josh Rhodes, while director Walter Bobbie makes magic in moving this large cast around seamlessly…'Bright Star' has a down-home warmth that draws the audience into its glow, making the 2 hours, 30 minutes more than entertaining."
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Front Row Center
March 29th, 2016

"Carmen Cusack knocks the ball out of the park…You can see the conclusion coming a mile away, but the show is so exquisite in every way that you don’t mind watching everything unfold...Scenes could be trimmed...The cast is a marvel of ensemble work…All in all it is an evening that will take you out of the city and off to the mysterious magic of the Appalachians for two decades of stories that will get you in all the right places: Head, heart, and all the way down to the toes of your feet."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
April 5th, 2016

"An old-fashioned Broadway musical with pleasing music, agreeable lyrics, and an engaging book...The musical’s story is also universal and engaging. Its themes are important and life-affirming…The cast, under Walter Bobbie’s careful direction is uniformly magnificent…'Bright Star' is not perfect–some of the story seems contrived and sometimes predictable–but director Walter Bobbie keeps the musical moving forward with an intensity and freshness that is remarkable and noteworthy."
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Broadway Blog
March 25th, 2016

"Martin and Brickell’s score is a celebration of American folk music, filled with soaring string arrangements...At its core, Ms. Cusack delivers a beautifully honest performance...Its final scenes may push the suspension of disbelief in a way that doesn’t necessarily serve the greater story...But one dissonant chord cannot deny the show’s genuine charm. 'Bright Star' delivers a unique voice in a season full of heavy hitters. Hopefully it will find its audience and continue to shine bright."
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C
March 25th, 2016

"A certain percentage of theatergoers won’t really be able to get past Martin’s overly earnest, structurally muddled and often tonally questionable libretto...Cusack flawlessly embodies Murphy in both periods with grit and vulnerability, which goes a long way to helping us overlook the show’s flaws...As for Martin and Brickell’s score, it pleases the ear on first listening...That’s why I am glad they still make CDs, because I really couldn’t make it through a second viewing of 'Bright Star.'"
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