Marquette Senior High School Theater is preparing to bring a unique musical soundscape to the stage with their upcoming fall production of Bright Star, running from Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15. Inspired by a true story and featuring a score co-written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the production pairs the cast with a live on-stage band that blends community instrumentalists on banjo, fiddle, and guitar with MSHS student musicians. For the student performers, mastering the bluegrass style required moving beyond traditional choral vocal techniques to embrace distinct regional accents and stylized phrasing, changing their rehearsal process and helping them fully immerse in their roles.
Pictured (from left to right) are Owen Johnson, Anton Voigt, Grant Ottaway, Caleb Rayhorn, and Amelie DeMarte.
Navigating a narrative split between the 1920s and 1940s, the cast explores how ambition, loss, and the passage of time alter human disposition. Amelie DeMarte leads the production as Alice Murphy, shifting from an upbeat, free-spirited teenager into a guarded newspaper editor whose outlook softens after meeting Billy Cane, played by Owen Johnson, an optimistic post-World War II veteran driven by hope. Meanwhile, Anton Voigt and Grant Ottaway depict a strained father-son relationship bound by mayoral politics and status, while Caleb Rayhorn portrays a protective father who ultimately pivots from rigid religious control toward grace and family reconciliation.
Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth spoke with the cast members about the show:
Despite the plot's heavy emotional weight, the cast emphasizes that the production carefully balances heart-wrenching moments with warmth, humor, and high-energy numbers like the fast-paced duet "Whoa, Mama" and the lively tavern dance sequence in "Another Round." The cast hopes audiences take away a message of resilience, light in dark times, and the importance of holding onto family bonds through life's inevitable changes.
Check out a performance of "Another Round" from Bright Star, performed by The Actor's Charitable Theatre:
Bright Star opens Friday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the Kaufman Auditorium.
Visit the MSHS Theater Facebook page or NMU Ticketing site for more information.
