Update
I often see productions that I love more than once, and in this case, one of JAKS Theatre Company’s volunteers extended an invitation for me to see Bright Star a second time. Intentionally choosing a different group of performers, I saw the Carolina cast on closing night. While some aspects of the performance were stronger than others, this cast excelled at making the musical’s raw emotion and redemption arc palpable. Inasmuch as it was closing night, some performers also incorporated humorous pranks to spark audience reactions. This tested the young actors’ abilities to stifle giggles, stay in character, and ad lib lines around the amusing additions. (They passed the test!) I found it truly heartwarming to see the performers enjoying themselves on stage, putting “lively” in live theater and letting extra creativity flow without losing the seriousness of the story. Pranks aside, this cast created memorable moments and character portrayals.
- Livy Garner as Alice – Garner played Alice with heart and passion, bringing out the character’s high-spirited ambition. She demonstrated this best in her portion of “Firmer Hand / Do Right” and the dialogue leading into “What Could Be Better,” where she made it clear that Zebulon’s rigid ways threaten to hold Alice back. Garner also captured Alice’s conviction and heartache with an affecting twang in “If You Knew My Story.” She brought this full circle with an unvarnished approach to “I Had a Vision” that rendered the character’s anguish truly visceral.
- Crew Winegar as Daddy Cane – Winegar’s solid vocals lent authenticity to the widowed father’s kind, humble nature. Colin West portrayed his son, Billy Cane, embodying the returning soldier’s optimism and literary ambition with consistent enthusiasm. The pair delivered a particularly tender rendition of “She’s Gone.” West’s lower register added rich resonance to the duet. Winegar brought equal sensitivity to the scene in which Daddy Cane reveals how Billy came to be his son.
- Caden Feller as Mayor Josiah Dobbs – Feller used his remarkably rich, deep bass-baritone to establish Mayor Dobbs’ absolute authority. His full vocal tone reverberated and cut through the entire theater, making the character’s firm control over his son, Jimmy Ray, undeniable. He delivered an incredibly potent version of “A Man’s Gotta Do” and leaned in heavily to Dobbs’ drunkenness to show the character unraveling. It was a superb performance!
- Ensemble – Several performers who had been leads in the Blue Ridge cast stepped smoothly into the Carolina cast’s ensemble. I appreciated seeing their adaptability in shifting to supporting roles. They executed the choreography of the ensemble numbers with noteworthy precision and strength—capturing the high energy of “Picnic Dance” and “Another Round” as well as the beautiful lyricism of “Way Back in the Day” and “What Could Be Better.”
JAKS Theatre Company does fantastic work! I encourage readers to stay tuned to see first-hand what this group does next. Click here for more information, and note planned productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Grease coming in 2027.
Original Review
I first learned about JAKS Theatre Company last summer. I casually opened the arttix.org app looking for a show to see on a Saturday night, and I saw that they were staging Hadestown. Their polished, poignant production thoroughly impressed and deeply moved me, prompting eager anticipation of this year’s Bright Star. Consistent with their work last summer, the company of young performers presents mature subject matter with incredible emotional depth and authenticity. Their rendition of Bright Star earnestly captures the show’s journey through love, loss, deception, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
The year is 1945, and Billy Cane (Myles LaPorte) returns to Hayes Creek after serving in World War II. He reunites with his father (Simon Parnell) and childhood friend Margo (Saylor Sutherland), only to learn the tragic news that his beloved mother passed away while he was gone. Ready for a new start, Billy elects to pursue his passion for writing. He leaves for Asheville intent on having his stories published in the Asheville Southern Journal. He meets journal staff members Daryl (Ian Mallory) and Lucy (Elsha MacKay) who reject his submissions, but a clever lie persuades shrewd editor Alice Murphy (Nara Morgan) to give him a chance. Fun-loving and sharp-witted Lucy boldly invites the formidable Alice to join her at a dance that evening, but Alice declines as such frivolity doesn’t fit her stern professional persona. Secretly, though, Alice reminisces that “Way Back in the Day,” she would have fully indulged in a carefree night out without any hesitation.
The time shifts to 1923 in Zebulon, North Carolina where a sixteen-year-old Alice flirts with Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Matthew Salzman). They are happy in love, allowing their romance to blossom and become intimate. Their parents, however, have a very different view, forcefully interfering to keep the young couple apart. Alice’s parents (Jenson Ellington and Hannah Clark) chastise their high-spirited daughter for being undisciplined and immoral. Her behavior brings shame on their humble, rigidly religious family. In contrast, Jimmy Ray’s father is Josiah Dobbs (Zachary Hayward), a wealthy businessman and Zebulon’s mayor. He perceives that his son’s union with a humble girl like Alice will jeopardize his family’s status, wealth, and legacy. Ultimately, Josiah is willing to do the unthinkable to protect the family empire.
As they did with Hadestown, JAKS has triple-cast Bright Star. I saw the Blue Ridge cast on opening night, and I was thrilled to see familiar faces on stage, some of whom I learned are between their junior and senior year of high school. This underscores the high quality of their preparation and performance, having appeared quite seasoned last year, making me assume they were juniors or seniors then. What they achieve on stage exceeds their years. This cast offers several noteworthy performances.
- Nara Morgan highlights Alice’s calm self-assurance, despite the profound heartbreak and loss her character experiences. These qualities come through in Morgan’s impeccable Southern accent—which appropriately varies between Alice’s small-town upbringing and her educated professional life—as well as her carefully paced sung phrasing. Her renditions of “Way Back in the Day,” “I Can’t Wait,” and “Please Don’t Take Him” touchingly covey Alice’s range of emotions.
- Myles LaPorte (Billy) and Matthew Salzman (Jimmy Ray) both lend their characters steady, grounded vocals and consistent accents, carrying their scenes with a natural ease that is particularly refreshing to watch. LaPorte stands out in his interpretation of “Bright Star,” giving Billy the hope and enthusiasm of a young man embarking on a new course. Salzman’s Jimmy Ray is unwavering both in his devotion to Alice and standing his ground against his father’s demands, culminating in a stirring version of “Heartbreaker.”
- Saylor Sutherland’s characterization of Margo adds youthful Southern charm that is a delightful complement to LaPorte’s optimistic Billy. She maintains resonant vocals throughout, making “Asheville” a memorable highlight.
- Elsha MacKay (Lucy) and Ian Mallory (Daryl) give the show a high level of energetic comic relief. MacKay’s Lucy is vivacious, sassy, and bold; Mallory’s Daryl matches her step-for-step in their comedic banter. Their triple-threat versatility turns “Another Round” into a dynamic crowd-pleaser.
- Jenson Ellington thoughtfully shows the nuances of Daddy Murphy’s character—both the strict man of faith who won’t tolerate Alice’s supposed rebellion and the remorseful father who realizes he made mistakes. With a steady, slightly gritty, baritone, Ellington clearly shapes Daddy Murphy as an unyielding disciplinarian in “Firmer Hand / Do Right.” His speaking voice becomes appropriately tender in the Act II scene when he and Alice reconcile.
- Hannah Clark elevates the role of Mama Murphy with a rich vocal presence. Her warm, assured tone radiates in her solos, most notably “Sun’s Gonna Shine.”
- Zachary Hayward commands the stage as Mayor Josiah Dobbs. His confident textured baritone casts the mayor as imposing, uncompromising, and domineering—a wealthy public official entirely used to getting his way, evident in his compelling delivery of “A Man’s Gotta Do.”
This is a fantastic production that I highly recommend seeing! Bright Star runs through Saturday, June 13, 2026 at Regent Street Black Box at The Eccles. Click here for tickets.
The Good Life 
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