Bright Star NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,006)
See it if You want a super cute show with great music and great singing.
Don't see it if You do not like bluegrass music or need a deep story.
See it if you like good music & good storytelling. This is a truly original show that has a great cast (Paul Nolan!) and a beautiful score.
Don't see it if you really really really hate country music. (But see it anyways!)
See it if you like bluegrass tunes, you want to be moved by something original and bowled over by the talent of Carmen Cusack.
Don't see it if banjos give you hives.
See it if you go to the theater.
Don't see it if See it!
See it if You like a well told story in song
Don't see it if You like modern music.
See it if you are looking for a wonderful show of great music and an amazing story. The show is very surprising and features blue grass music.
Don't see it if you are not a fan of blue grass music.
See it if you love masterfully crafted musicals. The music is original & moving. Carmen Cusack stuns in her Broadway debut. Great staging & choreo.
Don't see it if you don't like original musicals or having a good time at the theatre.
See it if To witness Carmen Cusack's Broadway debut. She's the bright STAR!
Don't see it if You never watch Hallmark movies on purpose.
Critic Reviews (68)
"Martin forged score, book and story for this wholly original musical—a piece that, despite its tonal unevenness and frequent, needless diversions from truth, still feels like a significant, distinctive and artful entry into the Broadway repertory...It would be an even-better thing if this show acknowledged the racial complexities of the era of its setting...A moving story that got under my skin despite some resistance, and a score that elevates the Broadway-bluegrass fusion."
Read more
"The weird thing about 'Bright Star' is the way it juxtaposes an over-the-top plot with a low-key production and mild-tempered music...The show ambles along, alternating between lively hootenannies and lovely ditties...The show’s droll, earnest tone does have its appeal. Fans of Martin’s humor will find evidence of it here...As a gentle fable, 'Bright Star' has a quirky charm, but its stubborn refusal to face up to its dark side diminishes it."
Read more
"'Bright Star' often verges on corny, particularly in the second act as the plotlines come together. The set is unfussy but suits the story well...But it’s Martin and Brickell’s music that’s the brightest star in 'Bright Star'. The bluegrass sounds complement the show’s setting and era, Americana music with layered harmonies and beautiful use of banjo and fiddle. Not every song is a winner, but there are stirring ballads and toe-tapping numbers throughout that audience members will enjoy."
Read more
“'Bright Star' is a total anomaly. It’s wholly original and unashamedly sentimental and romantic, with a country-folk score and no well-known actors in the cast...The storytelling can be jumbled, improbable and sappy, and the characters are undeveloped. Nevertheless, it is a heartwarming and crowd-pleasing musical, sporting many pleasant country songs, a sunny disposition and a Southern Gothic flavor."
Read more
"Initially, there are enjoyable elements. The onstage band is lively and quick-fingered, and director Walter Bobbie’s overall production has a fresh, whimsical feel...Sadly, Edie Brickell’s awkward and obvious lyrics are hobbled by cheap rhymes...You will see the eleventh-hour revelations coming from a country mile away...Steve Martin’s jaunty bluegrass score may get your toes tapping, but only if the sappy and sketchy plot does not drive you out at intermission."
Read more
"Those in the market for an old-fashioned, feel-good show should check out 'Bright Star,' Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's charming but somewhat underdeveloped new musical...The rhymes are often forced and the lyrics repetitive...Luckily, the delightful bluegrass music keeps us blissfully distracted most of the time...Judging from the moist eyes that surrounded me, these ham-fisted oversights won't do much to dampen the enjoyment Broadway audiences get from Bright Star, a joyous new show."
Read more
"The new Southern Gothic musical shows all the signs of being written by a pair who have not quite grasped some of the basics of the genre's craft...A lack of lyrical specificity plagues much of the score, limiting variety in the way the characters express themselves. When the authors do deliver a pair of dramatic second act songs to serve the storytelling, the music and lyrics are embarrassingly heavy-handed...Nice music, fine performances, but other than that, barely a twinkle."
Read more
"'Bright Star' is filled with people busily coming and going, but not acquiring any interest or complexity. Near the end, when the big secret is out, there should be plenty of displacement and upset to go around; instead, everyone is hustled into a happy-ending tableau that feels almost comically unearned. What allure 'Bright Star' has comes from Martin and Brickell's music, which has the melancholy pull of a great country ballad...Brickell's lyrics are another matter."
Read more