For Renee Pocsik, what makes being a part of the production “Bright Star” so unique is that it’s a different kind of musical than what most theater-goers might be familiar with.
With its style of Bluegrass music played throughout the show, “Bright Star” offers a unique kind of musical, one that will be on stage at Ector Theatre at the end of the month.
The show, which has been a collaboration of Odessa College, Basin Theater Works and Odessa Arts, will run at 7:30 p.m. from April 27-29.
Written and composed by comedian Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the show, which was a 2016 Tony Award-nominated Best Musical, is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945-46 with flashbacks to 1923.
“It’s the music itself that I like,” Pocsik said. “I’ve been a huge fan of Steve Martin as a comedian and actor. I love him in everything he’s done, particularly with Martin Short. But I would say the music is totally different for a musical in that it’s Bluegrass. There are some catchy tunes and others that can tear your heart out. Hopefully, it touches the hearts of our audience.”
The show is an American folktale that’s inspired by a true story. It tells the moving tale of love and redemption against the backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 1940s.
The production is under the direction of Josh Rapp who is also the Director of Theater at Odessa College.
This is Rapp’s eighth production that he’s directed but it’s also his first musical.
Working along with Rapp is Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Studies at Odessa College Juan Hernandez who’s been in charge of the musical side of “Bright Star.”
“I think there’s such a high-energy in the cast,” Rapp said. “They’re all really affable and the second we put them together, they were not only ready for an audience but also ready for something new. So there’s a lot of work that has gone in from OC to our designers to Dr. Juan Hernandez and so many people to name but I think everyone is just so excited about how good the show is starting to be and how good it’ll be when we open up for an audience.”
The musical is inspired by the Grammy-winning collaboration of the 2013 Bluegrass album “Love Has Come For You.”
For Rapp, who comes from Tennessee, Bluegrass is in his blood.
As for “Bright Star,” he said the musical spoke to him in a way in terms of music and story. Hearing that it was written by Martin made it even more exciting.
“I’ll direct anything with a banjo in it,” Rapp said. “The fact that this was written by Steve Martin makes it all better. The fact that it’s accessible and diverse and it was just the perfect fit, not just for Odessa College but for the art that Odessa is trying to create. It was just a perfect storm.”
Pocsik plays the role of Alice Murphy, the main character who works as an editor of the Asheville Southern Journal.
Since the show takes place in two different time periods, there’s a lot of flipping back and forth between Alice as a young, precocious teenager to her adult life.
“This is a fun story,” Pocsik said. “It’s more or less Alice’s story. … As a kid, she gets into trouble, loves reading, writing and story-telling, particularly the southern way. Then later in life, where she’s in her late 30s, she’s running the Asheville Southern Journal because of the events that took place in her youth. She was this very lively child who loved life. But just because some events take place, she becomes more subdued. More walled off and closed off.”
For Pocsik, playing a younger version and an older version of a character has been a fun challenge.
“It’s fun for me as an actor to play two different characters,” Pocsik said. “It’s really fun and interesting for me. Of course, the music is also incredible.”
For Pocsik, getting to be a part of this collaboration with Odessa College, Odessa Arts and Basin Theatre Works has meant a lot.
“I’m from Midland so it’s not only collaborative through the three intuitions,” Pocsik said. “It’s also collaborative with our communities in Crane, Odessa, Midland and Andrews. The collaborative spirit is beautiful. It’s not something you see all the time in these kinds of productions. Sometimes, egos can get in the way. But this has been a joyful experience and something special to be a part of.”
The cast members have come from all over the Permian Basin. The cast is not just limited to students from the college as many of the members come from outside of OC.
“I did a lot of theater in high school and college,” Pocsik said. “Then, there was a time where I was doing some gigs but nothing much. I’ve been here for about five years and since moving here, I’ve done four productions with Midland Community Theatre and this is my Odessa debut. To have it at the Ector Theatre is really special.”
Playing the role of Mayor Josiah Dobbs is David Thomas.
“He’s the father of one of the main characters in the play,” Thomas said. “Like a lot of fathers, he’s a little protective, maybe overprotective.”
Thomas has also enjoyed how different “Bright Star” is from other productions.
“This is a different show because of the instrumentation,” Thomas said. “It’s like Bluegrass instruments. It’s not often that you get to work with music like that in a musical. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Thomas has been involved with over 80 theater productions.
“I grew up in Odessa,” Thomas said. “I was in the Kaleidoscope Company at Permian Playhouse back in the day and did a lot of Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre. So to come and do a show at the Ector Theatre as collaboration is a great opportunity and I hope it continues.”
Playing the role of Mama Murphy is Chelsea Rice who is making her musical debut.
“Mama Murphy is your typical, protective, mother,” Rice said. “She wants what’s best for her children and she’s put in a tough situation. She grapples between the marriage with her husband and the relationship with her daughter. … I feel like in this musical, you really see the bond that the characters have.”
Rice said she used the relationship with her own mother to help build off and use that for her character in the show.
“At times, I’ll think ‘I’m sure my mother would want this for me,’ so I kind of get to use my own life experience with my mother being me,” Rice said.
Rehearsals have been going on for over four weeks now and have taken place at the Globe Theatre at Odessa College.
“We’ve been at it for quite awhile,” Rapp said. “We’ve had a long rehearsal process. It’ll be close to eight weeks when we go to stage (at Ector Theatre).”
What makes Rapp also excited about the show is how accessible it is and that one doesn’t have to be in theater to love this show.
“If you love Bluegrass music, you’re going to come and enjoy the music,” Rapp said. “You don’t need an MFA to understand the story. It’s just narrative story-telling and it’ll connect to our audience.”
For tickets and more information about the show, go to tinyurl.com/3ufnwct3.
If you go
- What: “Bright Star.”
- When: 7:30 p.m. April 27, 7:30 p.m. April 28, 7:30 p.m. April 29.
- Where: Ector Theatre.
- Where to purchase tickets: tinyurl.com/3ufnwct3
