Widely accepted as one of the most romantic stories ever written, “The Bridges of Madison County” is the Tony-Award winning musical love story of Francesca (Elizabeth Stanley) and Robert (Andrew Samonsky) and their struggle between desire and responsibility. There are a lot of things I loved about the show. But, despite how badly I wanted to love all of it, there were a lot of things that just missed the mark for me, too.
FAQ
'The Bridges of Madison County'
WHEN — 7 p.m. today; 8 p.m. April 22; 2 & 8 p.m. April 23; 2 p.m. April 24
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — $25-$70
INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org
Based on the 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller (to be followed by the 1995 film of the same name starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep), the stage version of “The Bridges of Madison County” first introduces the audience to Italian-born Francesca and her Iowa family. Just moments after her husband and two children head out for a four-day trip to the state fair, a lost Robert comes bounding down the aisle of the theater into Francesca's life. A simple request for directions unfolds quickly into a passionate, though unexpected for both, love affair. The moral dilemma of their love gives the audience some beautifully moving numbers and, as Samonsky said in a previous interview with What's Up!, “Asks some big questions. Francesca makes her decision. The question is, did she make the right decision? Why? What is a 'right decision'? What is love? … Their love is something much bigger than the two of them. The show... can have a reputation of just being this typical romance. But I really think it's a lot more than that.”
The excellent acting from the two main characters (particularly Samonsky), the family and the two next-door neighbors will bring some tears, some laughs and make it easy to sympathize with the lovers. However, between Francesca's Italian (sometimes Russian?) accent and her singing (despite being incredibly beautiful) bordering on operatic, the plot moved along without me from time to time. It was disappointing to sit through entire songs knowing, if other actors weren't on stage giving life to Francesca's words, I wouldn't have had a clue what she was trying to say in those moments. Her two children Carolyn and Michael and next-door neighbor Marge each had a moment to shine with their enjoyable voices. But musically, the star of the show is Samonsky. (And his shirtless scene certainly didn't hurt anything either.)
A few of the songs, specifically some sang by Francesca's husband Bud, felt a little out of place and didn't do much to propel the story forward, but the music and the storyline and the acting all work as a whole. Despite the handful of elements that didn't work for me, I still managed to shed a few tears, being moved by the music and by Francesca and Robert's love. Leaving the theater, a woman behind me commented, “Not as tough as the movie, but it was still pretty tough!” So there you have it. It's the heartbreaking love story you know, with a few twists added by (Pulitzer Prize winning) book-writer for the show Marsha Norman and some beautiful music exploring what happens when two soul mates meet too late in life.