Bridges of Madison County on Broadway: Worth a Trip Over the Bridge

Though I was initially skeptical about seeing the Broadway rendition of The Bridges of Madison County, friends assured me that this romance novel has been transformed into a sophisticated musical that would make for a wonderful night on the town. The prospect of seeing Kelli O'Hara perform was alone enough of a reason to go, and since I had met Director Bart Sher several times I put my reservations aside and reserved a ticket to the show. Unfortunately, on the night of the performance, I didn't get farther than the Hartsdale Station when snow snarled even steady Metro North. But the box office was kind enough to honor my ticket in March and I was happy that I seized the chance to go.

With superlative performances, great music and graceful staging provided by Kelli O'Hara of South Pacific and Light in the Piazza and Jason Robert Brown of The Last Five Years and under the direction of the acclaimed Bartlett Sher, the show brought the audience to their feet. The original score was beautiful, the staging was reminiscent of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the story was moving and romantic.

So what's the connection of Bridges of Madison County to Scarsdale? Well, some of you may remember Bartlett Sher who took the 7:58 am train from Hartsdale with many of us in 2002-2005 when he was staying in Greenacres with his sister-in-law, Martha Flanders and her kids, Drew (SHS '03) and Kit Morrison (SHS '06), while directing Shakespeare and G.B. Shaw, among others, for Off-Off Broadway's Theater For A New Audience. Bart even led a book club on how to read Shakespeare. So we in Scarsdale claim Bart (or Uncle Bart as he is known to Drew and Kit and their friends) as one of our own.

But "Bridges to Scarsdale" aside, there are many good reasons to see the show. Click here to listen to the music --and see what your neighbors said about the show below:

Nancie Schnur: "I am writing... from The Schoenfeld Theater during intermission... My husband Steve and I are blown away by this exquisite production. Every aspect is brilliant: the cast, the music, the staging, the lighting, the set, the multiple story lines and those magnificent voices. Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale take my breath away. I never want this to end and may not leave the theater when it's over."

Dr. Daniel Smith: "LOVED The Bridges...."

Bruce Wolfson: " We are speechless. The seats were in the first row right at the steps where Steven comes on stage. From that moment through the curtain call it was magic and soaringly romantic. We absolutely loved it. The leads, the music and the direction were extraordinary. The packed house seemed to agree."

Peggy DaSilva: "We loved the show, the score, the leads, the staging. So romantic. Great evening!"

Betsy Broyd: "The show was WONDERFUL!!"

Alison Rose: "What a really wonderful creative venture....Kelli and Steven are magnificently matched and their songs inspired. The lighting was gorgeous, and scenery and props and how they spun around was incredible. A quick scan of the bios shows the finest musical, dramatic and theatrical talent of Broadway, Yale, Juilliard and Harvard was behind this brilliant masterpiece."
Bill Doescher: "The show, the sets, lighting, music, and lead performers were outstanding. We enjoyed it immensely."

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