By Ella Wrenn
Managing Director
Cape Fear Regional Theatre
A new season is kicking off at Cape Fear Regional Theatre with Bright Star, an authentically North Carolinian musical full of hope, love, and banjo! Written by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell, Bright Star was described by The New York Times as “gentle-spirited…and mov[ing] with an easygoing grace” is set in North Carolina, shifting seamlessly between the 1920s and the 1940s, and between Raleigh and Asheville.
“Telling this story has made me feel more connected to where I live and the people here,” says actor Jennifer Newman (CFRT’s Matilda & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) who joins the company of Bright Star in the leading role of Alice Murphy, a successful literary editor with a haunting history. When Alice crosses paths with a young soldier just returned from World War II, shadows of her past come back through her memory in a sweeping story of love, loss, and redemption.
The idea for the musical was based on a true story from North Carolina that Brickell stumbled upon when, inspired to write a song about trains, she was researching railway routes through the south. As the idea took shape, she and Martin teamed up as co-composers, first on a Grammy-award winning concept album titled Love Has Come for You, which came out in 2013, and then on the TONY-Award winning show that opened on Broadway in 2016. The story and music evolved substantially between the first album and the stage production, but the sweeping score infused with folk, bluegrass, and Americana remains a core piece of Bright Star’s beauty. CFRT’s production will feature fiddle and banjo players performing live alongside the acting company.
You will leave the theatre singing and definitely remember how the show made you feel connected to the human spirit.
Jimmy Rustenhaven
“This story is so powerful and moving, with music that truly carries people through. You will leave the theatre singing and definitely remember how the show made you feel connected to the human spirit,” says actor Jimmy Rustenhaven, who is making his CFRT debut in Bright Star.
In addition to Mr. Rustenhaven, Bright Star features several other new faces as well as performers like Newman who will be familiar to CFRT’s audiences like Amber Dawn French (Footloose), Jaron Alexander (Once on This Island), and Lynda Clark (Steel Magnolias). “CFRT has really become my home away from home,” says Newman. “As a mom and a military spouse with a frequently deployed husband, my theatre community is my village. The realities of being a mom so often on my own really make me resonate so much with Alice; she’s a powerful woman who experiences things most people would think they would never recover from. We all go through hardships in our lives, I hope we can inspire the audience to believe that (like the song says) ‘the sun will shine again.’”
CFRT’s production is directed and choreographed by Antoinette DiPietropolo, who came to CFRT for the first time as the choreographer for last season’s production of 9-5 The Musical and whose work has been seen on the national tours for The Addams Family and Fame. “CFRT has a deep sense of community and commitment to storytelling and creativity. The relationship between CFRT, its artists, and this local audience is so special. Bright Star is an incredible show in a place that is so defined by resilience and the way the human spirit continually moves forward towards hope.””
Bright Star runs September 10–27 and continues CFRT’s residency at 1707 Owen Drive where the theatre has been producing shows while their main facility is under construction. For the company of Bright Star, the Owen Drive space feels like an organic fit for this intimate show. “The audience is so close to the actors, there’s very little distance between you and the story. Rather than simply watching, I think the audience gets to feel like they’re inside the world with us,” says DiPietropolo.
This production and the following 2026 production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will be the final shows at Owen Drive before CFRT moves back to their renovated and expanded building at 1209 Hay Street. Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke agrees with DiPietropolo; “Bright Star was such a natural choice not just to open the season with grace and empathy, but to really celebrate the unique layout of our Owen Drive theatre. We’re so grateful to have had this space while we undertake the work at 1209 Hay Street, and Bright Star feels like a gorgeous send off to this home away from home.”
Tickets are on sale now at CFRT.org and Flex Passes offer 20% savings off the cost of single tickets. “Since it’s set in North Carolina, think of it as a personal act of state pride to come see this beautiful show,” says Rustenhaven with a laugh. “Nothing beats live theatre, especially when it’s a show like this one.”
