Over the last two weekends, Natick High Theatre put on four very successful performances of their fall musical: Bright Star. The new musical, written by comedian and banjo extraordinaire, Steve Martin and bluegrass icon, Edie Brickell presents a timeless story of love and loss through the lens of the 1940s and 1920s. The show starred senior Jordan McLaughlin as Alice Murphy and Brendan O’Loughlan as Jimmy Ray Dobbs. In the 1920s they were young, carefree, and in love. Murphy conceived a baby with Dobbs which drove the couple apart due to the hatred from Dobbs’ father, the Mayor of Zebulon (and the role that I played) who attempts to kill the baby by throwing it from a train. In the 1940s, Murphy serves as a depressed editor and Dobbs escapes from his dying father after he learns the truth about his son. The couple reunites and eventually find their son who survived the Mayor’s assassination attempt.

The music in the show is heavily inspired by bluegrass music and our show’s all-string professional pit featured a single student, senior Matthew Cunningham who also served as the rehearsal pianist. Many cite the music and vocals as one of the strongest portions of this production. The musical director and choreographer, Natick choir director and Natick Varsity dance team coach, Kate Burns, mentored Cunningham as well as Senior Maye Sobhoff in music directing and spent countless hours running rehearsal, teaching choreography, and blocking scenes. 

Although the show explores deep and adult themes, the community rallied around the show and the cast and crew felt truly supported by current students and alumni of the program in attendance at each of the shows. The fall shows every year are non-cut, meaning that if someone auditions, they are in the show automatically. The cast was over 80 people this year, but director Steven Miller utilized each and every actor, having them frame the stage during most scenes, sing from backstage, and operate the intricate set changes which include moving the train, desks, offices, trees, and houses. Many times throughout rehearsal, Miller asked the cast, “What is your Bright Star? What does the term Bright Star mean to you personally?” Through these questions, the cast was able to truly embody the meaning Martin and Brickell put behind this show. 

The stage crew spent hours planning and carrying out Miller’s ideas for the set including the centerpiece mountain that crested upstage. Actors stood atop it near the pit band, and inside the doors held shut with magnets, actors moved set-pieces. The lighting, sound, hair and makeup, and front of house were all student-run and or assisted as well. 

The show was very well received by parents, facility, and family of the actors. Now, many eagerly await the student-directed show which is yet to be determined. So in the meantime, take a moment to contemplate and ask yourself- “What is your Bright Star?”