Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Book by Marsha Norman
Based on the novel by Robert James Waller
The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of a woman trapped in her own life. When Francesca’s husband Bud and two children leave home for four days to attend a state fair, she falls into a brief affair with National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid. As if awakening from sleep, Francesca realizes she has chosen to exist rather than live, settling into this farmer’s wife role to escape a world turned upside down in her youth.
I wholeheartedly appreciate the work Theater West End is putting in to bringing fresh productions to Central Florida. The choices they have made for their lineup in their first season show they will not be resting on what has been done in our community, but they have devoted themselves to breathing new life into it. The music in this show is not what I call “the jams" but every single song gives life to a story that could simply be about an affair. Bridges of Madison County is much more than that. The brilliance of Jason Robert Brown was truly realized during this production. Kudos to the entire cast and musicians for carrying me through.
Janine Klein is magnetic. Her portrayal of Francesca took me to a place far from the suburban town I grew up in. I was thoroughly impressed in the power this actress had in her voice and her ability to command a stage while still portraying someone unfulfilled in life. One of my favorite tells an actor has done their homework is whether or not they are aware of their space. I was enthralled with the way Janine moved around in Francesca’s kitchen and when she and Robert were at the bridge, the actress showed Francesca was much less sure of the specifics of her surroundings. From top to bottom Janine captivated me. I look forward to seeing her perform again. Sidebar, she was a sweetheart to meet in person and gives amazing hugs.
Michael Colavolpe broke my heart as Bud Johnson. The dignity this actor gave to Bud was incomparable. I believed every in every moment that this character was a real person. Michael is a wonderful storyteller, proving this while performing Something From a Dream. This actor was so attuned to this character. When he sang of taking his wife on a trip I definitely shed a few tears recognizing a hard working man doing everything in his power to take care of his family.
Robb Ross as Robert Kincaid. Robb has an extraordinary strength to his voice both when he sings and when he speaks. Robert was easy to fall in love with because this actor had a way of looking at his counterpart as if he were really seeing her. This created passionate moments each separate from the other as if Robert saw a different layer of Francesca every time he looked at her. Robb also had fluid movement but in a way different from Janine. His movement portrayed a man who was use to change, able to adapt to any space and situation. I would have liked a stronger performance from this actor during It All Fades Away. This song has very long spaces between rests which brings challenges to this piece. There were a few distracting breaths taken during the song, but again, this is a challenging song and I’m being picky because this is my favorite piece. Robb definitely sold me with the high note before the last verse. I do wish there had been more of a space created for Robert during this performance but I understand that this character has no space and encompasses all spaces because of the life he chose. I believe this is a nod to the great storytelling done in this production. We were all left wanting all three of these characters to have more.
Bravo to Andrew Johnson and Sara Jones as Charlie and Marge for creating such sweet and endearing comic reliefs.
I have to also applaud the ensemble and the stage crew for moving large set pieces onto a small stage. Like all shows, there were moments pieces did not reach their proper marks. There was an ideal professionalism to the way others would correct the situation and move on. It seems like such a small thing, but I cannot deny bringing it up. Small moments like that really stand out to the performer in me and helps the audience continue on the journey through the production without getting hung up on these moments if someone were to scramble out and fix a mistake.
Bravo to Director Derek Critzer, Music Directors David Foust and Mitchell Samuelson as well as Quinn Roberts for being such a welcoming host.
Until next time kids. Keep up the incredible work.
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