Bright Star Does Right by Bluegrass on Broadway

Broadway, lately, has been kind to the chorus it never saw coming, to adventurous works that look beyond traditional theater tropes and highly trained vibratos for a hook that lasts long after that curtain goes up. Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s revolutionary hip-hop musical sensation, is the poster child of this: With its explosive performances and Roots-produced, Grammy award-winning soundtrack, it set a new standard for what the modern musical could do in terms of reconnecting theater with popular culture and keeping that life line intact. Waitress, the new musical based on the 2007 film starring Keri Russell, holds that pop connection close, as its music and lyrics were penned by Sara Bareilles of “Love Song” fame.

While shows like Les Misérables, Wicked, and The Lion King continue to draw crowds to their respective spots in Times Square every night, Broadway’s audiences are clearly clamoring for the current hits whose soundtracks make for seamless additions to their Recently Played iTunes playlist. They want an experience that banks on the music before the drama — and that’s how Bright Star gives its audience what it’s looking for.

Bright Star, the musical collaboration of Steve Martin and singer/songwriter Edie Brickell, brings Americana into this conversation. Set in the hilly sprawl of North Carolina in the wake of World War II, its story follows Billy Cane, a newly anointed veteran who’s trying to find his voice as a writer having just returned from the battlefield. Shortly after he makes his way home, he’s off again, heading to Asheville in the hopes of securing a byline at the Asheville Southern Journal. Alice Murphy — the paper’s tough, terse, and hawk-eyed editor — reads one of Billy’s stories and pays him for his work, but doesn’t publish it: She offers Billy the opportunity to pitch her ideas until one sticks, and he spends the majority of Bright Star working toward that goal. Through flashbacks, we learn more about Alice — where she came from, the loves and losses that shaped the bubbly teenager who somehow turns into the stern woman Billy meets at the Journal — and that her life’s story syncs up with Billy’s in a way that neither one of them sees coming.

While the plot of Bright Star bounces between the aspirational journey of Billy’s and Alice’s painful trip down memory lane, the music is what lays a firm foundation for the folklore. With down-home arrangements, plenty of opportunities for its singers to showcase their ability to belt the hell out of a long-held high note, and the steely twang of the bluegrass band onstage throughout the program, the music of Bright Star is the anchoring force of the production — the backbone that keeps the decidedly PG storylines from broaching cheesy, try-hard territory in a venue that’s more than susceptible to that kind of family-friendly fun. This isn’t "Bluegrass by Disney" or anything, either: The arrangements are tight, the vocal lines are tough, and the accents steer clear of caricature territory (for the most part). By treating the band as a living, breathing set piece — and keeping them visible and active throughout the performance — Bright Star makes the importance of the music known, sending the not-so-subliminal message that the pickers and players backing the actors are just as pivotal to the story as Alice and Bobby are themselves. Carmen Cusack, as Alice, can summon hope and warmth (“Sun Is Gonna Shine”) as effortlessly as she can channel grief and despair (“Please, Don’t Take Him”), and the bright banjo riffs and sad bass lows do so in kind.

Bright Star may not break new ground, as far as its story goes, and the music, while lovely, isn’t especially earth-shattering, though it’s great to see an acoustic guitar and mandolin treated so venerably on the Great White Way. But like Hamilton, Waitress, and other musicals that have audiences rethinking the role popular music has to play in storytelling, Bright Star succeeds in working music — in this case, of a folkier, bluegrass ilk — into its fabric while pushing boundaries and expectations for both the genre and the artform. Broadway’s finally down with beats and poppy hooks. It’s about damn time it picked up the banjo, too.


 

 
 

Banjo Legend Bill Keith Passes

Bill Keith, known for revolutionizing the field of banjo playing, passed away last week at the age of 75. For a full obituary, head over to the New York Times.

Other Roots Music News:

ICYMI: Punch Brothers will release a new EP, out November 20. 

• Read Steve Martin's 5-10-15-20 at Pitchfork

• Alabama Shakes performed "Joe" on Colbert.

The results for the Grand Masters Fiddler Championship are in. 

• Lucinda Williams announced a new album, Ghosts of Highway 20

Here’s Your Full 2015 IBMA Awards Winners List

The Earls of Leicester, Becky Buller and Steve Martin were all big winners at last night's IBMA Awards in Raleigh, NC. Check out the full winner's list below:

Entertainer of the Year: The Earls of Leicester

Female Vocalist of the Year: Rhonda Vincent

Male Vocalist of the Year: Shawn Camp

Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range

Instrumental Group of the Year: The Earls of Leicester

Song of the Year: “Moon Over Memphis,” Balsam Range

Album of the Year: The Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester (produced by Jerry Douglas)

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Who Will Sing for Me,” the Earls of Leicester

Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “The Three Bells,” Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Rob Ickes

Emerging Artist of the Year: Becky Buller

 

Emerging Artist of the Year winner Becky Buller backstage! Oh yeah, she won Songwriter of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year for "Southern Flavor"

A photo posted by International Bluegrass Music Association (@intlbluegrass) on

Recorded Event of the Year: “Southern Flavor,” Becky Buller with Peter Rowan, Michael Feagan, Buddy Spicher, Ernie Sykes, Roland White and Blake Williams

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Becky Buller

Banjo Player of the Year: Rob McCoury

Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett

Dobro Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas

Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland

Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton

Mandolin Player of the Year: Jesse Brock

Inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: Bill Keith and Larry Sparks

Distinguished Achievement Awards: Alison Brown, Murphy Henry, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, “Bashful Brother” Oswald Kirby and Steve Martin

 

Greg Cahill & Distinguished Achievement Award recipient Alison Brown backstage at the Special Awards Luncheon. #wob #banjos

A photo posted by International Bluegrass Music Association (@intlbluegrass) on

We Had Ourselves a Situation…

 

I still can’t believe this weekend actually happened.

But it did.

This past Thursday through Sunday, May 3 – 6, the best in bluegrass, folk, roots and Americana gathered in Los Angeles, first at Largo on La Cienega, then amongst the trees of the Santa Monica mountains above the city at Tree People’s Mulholland/Coldwater park.

With the recent launch of the new site, things were already in a rather surreal state.  The site response alone has been overwhelming (not to mention all the great coverage via Ed’s Funny or Die video or the multiple articles that have been popping up).  But this weekend took things to another level.

Thursday night kicked things off with Sean and Sara Watkins, plus friends like Tom Brosseau, Willie Watson, Chris Thile, and others, after which John C Reilly did a special performance of An American Song Cycle with some of his own friends, and even featured LA-based old-time wunderkind Frank Fairfield.

Friday launched with Ed’s band The Lonesome Trio, featuring Jacob Tilove on mandolin and Ian Riggs on bass…. The Whiskey Sour Radio Hour was a true variety show, in the vein of a cracked out Prairie Home Companion, with appearances by Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Will Forte, and one incredible sketch involving New Yorker cartoonist Matt Diffee, the Punch Brothers, and Critter Eldridge doing his best hardcore rap.  The late show featured Chris, Noam, Critter, Gabe and Paul tearing up the stage, including rousing tributes to both Levon Helm and Earl Scruggs to round out the night.

Next, the Steep Canyon Rangers joined, along with the one and only Steve Martin on Saturday night.  I would say it’s hard to believe I was seeing the SCR guys only a few years back at The Cave in Chapel Hill, playing to a small but devoted crowd, and yet it’s not that hard to believe at all because they’re so damn good.

And as if anything could possibly top all of that, Sunday was a magical night under the stars, with acts from the three previous nights brought together on an outdoor stage, jamming to Foggy Mountain Breakdown for an encore.

To call it a Situation doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Since then, it’s been all about recovering, catching up on sleep (ha!), and getting back to work (be patient, we’ll have a brand new, updated cal available very soon).

If you were able to join us for the festival, I want to hear all about your favorite parts and any other comments you might have.  If you weren’t, well, we’re just getting started, and if this weekend was any indication, we’re on to something BIG, with plenty in store for you to join us next year.  I can’t wait.

(don’t worry… more festival photos to come soon….)