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Looking Back at BRIGHT STAR's Opening Night!
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Oct 30, 2022
The sun is gonna shine today because its the birthday of the legendary actor and comedian Steve Martin! In honor of the occasion, we're looking back at his Tony-nominated musical Bright Star that he wrote the score for with Edie Brickell. Get a peek inside the show's opening night with Martin and Brickell alongside cast members including Carmen Cusack, Paul Alexander Nolan, and more! Check out the full video!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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The new Steve Martin and Edie Burkell musical Bright Star has come to Broadway
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and we're here on opening night to celebrate with a company led by Carmen Kusak
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who's making her Broadway debut. You got the look, you got the feel, you got the face of true love
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you got the charm, you got appeal, I got to let you go
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Something tells me it'll be all right. Something tells me it's going to be okay
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Sun is going to shine again. The cloud's going to shine again
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Running on my. The cloud's running on my. Opening night, your baby has come to Broadway
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What a sensational opening night. You got to perform on stage at the end
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What does tonight mean to both of you? It's... Bitter sweet. It is bittersweet
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I'm a little sad because I won't. get to keep working on it. I loved working with all of our collaborators and watching our cast
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do new lines, new songs. It was a thrill. I've discussed with the, there's nothing like
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hearing your song or your script presented by talented actors. The duets are stunning to me
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you know, and it's just amazing to hear your work be brought to life by, you know, all the, all the
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creative team, not only the cast, but the entire creative team, including Walter
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Bobby, our director. A star was born tonight in Carmen Cusack. I hope so. Believe
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me, when you read the rest of the reviews, wait until you go upstairs. My favorite
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imagined headline is a star is born. Well, you've got it. She deserves it. Good. She deserves it
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And we're grateful for her. By the way, the way we found her
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she sent us a videotape. and you knew. And by the way, we were just doing a reading
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And we thought, yeah, she's good. But we had no idea of the depth of talent
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as it marched on for, you know, three years from that moment, you know
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It is opening night. You look like a princess. How do you feel
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Like a princess? I said, I feel like I'm standing next to Steve Martin. Oh, wait, I'm standing next to Steve Martin
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I feel elated. I feel amazing. I feel relieved. I mean, we can just go into tonight
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and have a good time. and celebrate with our family and our friends, and there's just so much work that's gone into this
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Musicals are hard, it turns out. When did you join the show? A year and a half ago
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I've done both the San Diego and the DC tryout, so I've really..
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A lot of changing. Yeah, I had a chance to see this character grow, and that's been a real joy to have time
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to really create something that it really feels like home to you every night, you know
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Isn't it great when you work on a new musical? It's being created with you, and for you. That is the truth. There are more Hannahisms in this show than I would care to let you know
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about. Isn't that great? Could you channel a character through yourself anyway? Of course. My parents are
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sitting there in the third road and I like, oh yeah. That's Hannah in the 40s. That's Hannah. It's fun when I
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can surprise them and they're like, oh, that's, oh, that's not Hannah at all. That's what's fun
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It's opening night. How do you feel tonight? I feel great. I feel great. I have been working
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on this with Stephen Eadie for like, oh gosh, three years now. From the day one, we have
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had our first reading, and it's been a wonderful, wonderful journey with a wonderful, wonderful
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show, and the cast is fabulous, and it's nice to get it open, nice to get it open, and come this far
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Great role you play. Talk about the role. Well, I mean, you know, Walter, everyone looks at me and says, oh, God, he's awful
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And Walter always said, these are good people dealing with a difficult situation badly
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And, you know, and that's kind of what we're trying to come to grips with
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and trying to make our decisions and dealing with what we have to do in 1920s
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You know, and so, you know, he's a nice guy, I find, but he's strict
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and he's got to do what he's going to do. But you try to find the humanity in him, you know
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It's such a beautiful score. Were you involved in the very beginning? Just about
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I was involved starting at Vassar and Poughkeepsie three summers ago. That was the very first sort of reading workshop
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And so I've been with the show since then. Yeah. So collaborating with Steve and Eadie
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what's that been like? It's been unbelievable. They're just, they're so wonderful and talented
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and singular and unique, and their music is soulful and beautiful and you know and they put so much trust in Walter and Josh and myself And we just had the most wonderful collaboration working on this together
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It's just been a dream. What's it like being a part of a brand new musical being created with you
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Well, in this day and age, to have a show that isn't based on a different medium
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on a book, on a TV show, a film or whatever, it's extraordinary
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extraordinary and and to be with Steve Martin and Eidie Perckel and creating something
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brand brand new is exciting. I asked you what that whole creative process was like with having those two icons in the room
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Well, they're both brilliant and they're both collaborators. You know, they're willing to throw the material out, rewrite it
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They write on the fly. You get lines the next day. You get music the next day
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Lyrics are texted to you at night sometimes. They're very generous and they're as excited as we are
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Talk about the man that you play. I play Jimmy Ray Dobbs and he falls in love with Alice Murphy who is played by Carmen Kusak
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And if you haven't seen her yet, get ready. And, you know, we get pregnant and then a big event happens and it changes our lives
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And it's so much fun to play Jimmy Ray because he's kind of. of the, he's the, he's the, the best of the youthful spirit that I have left in me
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And so I get to visit that every day. It's fantastic. Working with his cast
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Yeah, we have a, I mean, I'm standing beside one of them. We have a hugely talented cast, a hugely experienced cast, and lots of Broadway veterans
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So we have kind of the best, best case scenario. Carmen's making her Broadway debut
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I know It's crazy You know Today we did the gypsy robe Ceremony
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And they call all the Broadway Debuts to the center of the circle
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And even though I knew it was Carmen's debut I looked at her going to the center
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I was like what's Carmen doing Because she's had this huge career Other places
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And because of her massive talent You just are like How has she never been here
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It's wonderful working on a brand new musical, especially written by Steve Martin and Edie Burkell
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Yeah, it's, I mean, it's amazing. They were in the rehearsal studio with us every day
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They are so in it. They are so, there's no ego. They want the story to be good
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They rewrite all the time. I mean, it's just, you know, it's all intimidating when you're in that studio
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and you see Steve Martin right there just on his computer, just watching you
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And then when you can make him laugh. I've done good. When you can make that man laugh, it's the best
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Yeah. You live so beautifully in this world. playing that sassy woman. Talk about your role
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She's, oh my gosh, Lucy. You know, she is a mix between all the designing women
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I love it, yes. And I'm from North Carolina, so, you know, I know these women
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And she's, I love her because she's modern. She doesn't have a love interest. She has a good time, and she tosses things off
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and she likes to have fun. And everything I do in the show is everything I love to do
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I get to dance. I get to say funny things. I get to post
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It's the best. Welcome back to Broadway, my friend. How does it feel
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It feels good. It feels really good. It's been a long time. And it's been such a different experience from La Cajage because that was..
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I'm looking behind my grandson. Careful. He might push me. He's a good swimmer
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Jane? Yeah. So it's a completely different experience from La Caj. So not only was that a revival of a beloved show, but it was an import of an incredibly beloved
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production of a beloved show. So that rehearsal process, it was kind of like
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this works, let's do it, let's do it right. And this, to have watched
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I've been involved with the show for about two years and to have watched from the workshops to San Diego to D.C
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How a musical is written, how it comes together, how they figure out what works and what doesn't
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Watching our, you know, watching E. E.D. and Steve cut some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard
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because it just didn't help. It's been such an education, such a wonderful, wonderful joy
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As a musical theater nerd, it's been amazing to be a fly on that wall. Without giving too much away, who do you play
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I play Billy Kane, who is a veteran of World War II
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who's just returned back home to Asheville, North Carolina. And similar to J Salinger experience fighting in Europe Billy discovered that he wants to be a writer And he been given this gift of his life and he has decided he going to become a writer
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And he finds a mentor in Alice Murphy, played by Carmen Cusack, who is..
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who is... dot, dot, dot. Who is everything. And kind of my story arc is about him finding..
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himself through that mentorship. This is such a stunning musical. I mean, it's opening night
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I spoke to you both on the carpet beforehand. What did tonight mean to watching the show and see how it was reacted to
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I think what I loved about tonight was that it wasn't nervous
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It was confident. They knew what they were doing, and they weren't distracted by the fact that it was an opening night
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They were up there breathing as one as a company doing the show that we put together
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And the audience didn't overreact, which they sometimes do on opening night
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They didn't laugh too hard. They didn't applaud. It was how the show was received nightly
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And I think that that's satisfying. We didn't try to muscle the event nor the day
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And it was a beautiful night. I think the whole process over the three years or whatever it is, including the last few weeks
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has been a seamless one in the sense that if you start reading any of the costs, tweets or anything
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or talking to them, the general feeling was we're ready, you know, and they were
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So it wasn't like a sense of going on, are we really ready for this
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They knew they were, and they delivered incredibly well. I was going to ask you. Welcome back to Broadway to you too. How does it feel
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It's amazing. It's been so long. I mean, you know, I did murder for two like a couple of years ago
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but I haven't been on Broadway since 2001. It feels good to be back, right
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Oh, yeah, and especially in this piece, which we all just love so much
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And it's, you know, I have this juicy, juicy plum part, and I love it
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Talk about him. You live so beautifully in this period. Thank you. You know, it's funny. We haven't really had to think about it that much
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The clothes take care of it and the language. And I just have all these, like, Steve Martin gems that got dropped in my lap
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And all I have to do is go out there and say them. It's amazing. Having Steve and Edie in the room and having them create with you, what's that whole process been like
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Well, I have to confess, I am an Edie Burkale fanboy. I wore out her first two CDs
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And so I had to get over that first. And then Steve is also, you know, he's so impressive and he's so funny and smart
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And it took me like three weeks to even just like initiate a conversation with him
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But he's really wonderful and he's been great through this process. And it's, you know, obviously it's an incredible privilege to get to work with both of them
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How does it, how do you feel tonight? I feel great. I feel thrilled. I feel blessed that this role came to me and that Walter Bobby's an old friend, acquaintance director, who wanted Stevie Lee and I back together
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I said, Stevie Lee, we're in this because we're tall. He wanted the tall parents
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But it's just such a gift. It's a real blessing. And I mean, there is a body of work and I earned it and blah, blah, blah
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But it's so thrilling to be up there and watch this ensemble and see Miss Carmen Cusack, the bomb of all time
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Who is this girl? Making her debut. Making her Broadway debut and nailing it, killing it, smacking it out of the park
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Night after, song after song. You live so beautifully in this world of Stephen Edita
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I keep saying Stephen Eden. I know we all do. It's hilarious. And, of course, the children, those under, you know, 30 go, I don't get it
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Google. Their score is beautiful and the book. What's it like living in their world
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Oh my gosh. It's great. It's great because it's meaningful. It's heartfelt
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But it's funny. Just like life, just like my life. You know, you have days where you think, I've got to go to the bank
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You think, but you know what? Last time I went to the bank, I found $20 on the floor, and nobody claimed it, so it was mine
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That's kind of how I feel about tonight. I found the $20. Every night I found $20
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Broadway show? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What does that mean to you that number? I've been around a while, you know
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It goes back to my first Broadway show where I learned integrity doing on the waterfront
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I never missed a performance. I did all eight. We ran a week
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I was there. You are. You can't be that old. We're here with the matinee. When Jerry Gray said passed
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He didn't die. No, I know. He came back. That's when I met Riedel. Riedel was hanging out outside when he was, you know
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working for the Daily News No back when What is it like living in the world of Bright Star It incredible because it more of an ensemble feel than I ever had in a musical
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You know, Titanic was similar. We had an ensemble feel with that. But we had this ensemble
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feel and then we look out every now and then at Carmen Cusack, who you guys are just going to meet
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you know, she's remarkable, remarkable to share a stage with her. She's incredible
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Isn't it great when you work with someone? She is phenomenal, and she is making
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her Broadway debut. And to me, she's a throwback from the old film world and Broadway world, all rolled into one
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It's all there all the time. Like other actors, I've worked with Marin Masey and Kiss Me, Kate, from day one, from minute one
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Maron's there, and every night it's the same thing, but it's consistent, and Carmen's the same thing
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And you couldn't find a nicer person. Have you had her through here yet? Later you meet her
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It is opening night. It is your Broadway debut. There is nothing like a debut
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Have you been able to put into perspective? Not really? No, not really. I'm just taking it one moment in the time. I just told myself when I woke up today, just be present. And I feel I'm just on this roller coaster ride and I'm loving every second of it
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Today must have been really special. Did you sleep last night? I did. I took some Zeequil
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That helped. Not NyQuil. Zeequil, yeah. You know, do what you need to do
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Good night's sleep. So was today a whirlwind day of getting to the theater
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A whirlwind. Well, there were certain people I wanted to get little bits and bobs for
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but then I just got a manny-petti and had somebody, you know, give me a little massage around my neck
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and I was good to go. Then there was a gypsy robe. When they asked all of you, tell me what that was like for you
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when they said Broadway debuts, you were right in the center. Well, I'm going to have to remind myself
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It was fascinating, first of all, but my head at that point was really spinning
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But I'm going to have to write it down. I'm going to have to figure out what this is about
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It's a really cool ritual. But, yeah, my head was spinning at that moment
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I was just like, what is going on? I spoke to Steve and Walter
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You sent an audition tape in. What was that tape? It was a tape
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Well, as soon as I read the script, I kind of just knew what this character
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for me, what this character was. and I also understood what the music was
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And I straight away knew exactly what I got my guitar out
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and I just, I did Wayfaring Stranger, an old folk tune. And I did a Joni Mitchell tune
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Drawing a blank now. But it was two folk tunes that were some of my favorites
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And then I did a couple of the scenes and I sent it in and here we are
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So how did you get the call? Who called you? What did you think of when you got the role? My agents called me
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And they said, this is for Steve Martin and I need to recal. Are you okay to send a tape
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I'm like, yeah, of course. What's it like living in their world and the world at Bright Star
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It is the perfect melding between artist and material for you, watching you up there inhabit this role
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What's it like living in this world? It feels like home. I feel the most natural and I feel like it just feels like home
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It feels like breathing to sing this music. And the role and the story is, I'm very connected to the story with my own family history and my family life
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And I know I just feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing
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Perfect cast you get to work with. Yes, they're incredible. They are so nurturing and so supportive
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and every single person on that stage has a, knows what they're about as they have their own character set up
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and they just keep loving, loving, just keep giving, pouring love out with every single movement
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And it's a beautiful, I want to watch it, but I don't get to. But I feel it. I feel it completely engulfed by the warmth and the love and the support of this cast
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They're my heart. So when you took your bow tonight, Broadway debut, do you remember anything what you were thinking
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Just feeling very lucky to be there and that it was time and I was ready
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The sun is going to shine again. The sun is going to shine again
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The sun is going to shine again. The sun is going to shine again
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The sun is going to shine again. The sun is going to shine again
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The sun is going to shine again. The sun is going to shine again
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