Bright Star Costume Rentals
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What do you get when you request a FREE costume plot from The Costumer? We will send you the listing and costume description for the entire show, organized by act and scene for your convenience. The Costumer is proud to provide quality Adult and Children’s rental costumes for productions of Bright Star! Group costume rentals for Bright Star cover the entire cast including leads such as Alice Murphy, Billy Cane, Margo, Lucy Grant, Daryl Ames, and Jimmy Ray, as well as ensemble members like the Female and Male Chorus.
Bright Star is a musical inspired by the true folk story of the Iron Mountain Baby and features a book and music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. The play is set in the mid 1940’s with flashbacks to 1923 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The musical features a unique bluegrass and country score that was inspired by Martin and Brickell’s Grammy-winning bluegrass album Love Has Come For You. The world premiere of Bright Star occurred on September 28th, 2014 at the Old Globe Theatre in Chicago, and later opened on Broadway in 2016. The musical was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the accompanying original Broadway cast was nominated for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Bright Star follows the story of literary editor Alice Murphy as she meets an aspiring writer and young soldier returning home from the war, Billy Cane. Through their newfound connection, Billy awakens Alice’s longing for the child she had lost decades prior. Haunted by the reemerged memory of her missing baby, Alice sets out on a journey through her past that will change her life and Billy’s. A sweeping tale of love and redemption, Bright Star will move audiences with its powerful story and stirring score.
The story begins in 1946 as editor Alice Murphy addresses the audience. She greets them and tells them that instead of overseeing and telling the stories of others as she usually does through her day job, she will instead tell her own (“If You Knew My Story”). The action then shifts to a year earlier to the town of Hayes Creek, where a serviceman and aspiring writer named Billy Crane is returning home after serving in the Second World War. The young man gleefully reunites with his father and his childhood friend Margo, however the celebration is short-lived, for Billy learns that his mother has died while he was away (“She’s Gone”). Billy grieves and after several weeks pass, he confesses to Margo that he is going to submit his stories to be published in The Ashville Southern Journal (“Bright Star”).
From the very start of this American folk tale, The Costumer will ensure that your audience is transported to the Blue Ridge Mountains of the early 20th century with the help of our fabulous rental costumes! Alice Murphy will come to life at the very start of the show in a 1940’s style summery floral print dress and a fashionable wide brimmed straw hat. The young Billy Cane will embody that of a strapping serviceman returning home from the war wearing khaki colored military-issued uniform, complete with an authentic looking envelope hat. Supporting characters like Billy’s father, Daddy Cane, will also be dressed in apparel accurate to the era, such as collarless work shirts and overalls. Much like Alice, Margo will also be clothed in a simple yet attractive casual dress that is reflective of the time period.
After resolving to submit his stories, Billy travels to the Journal offices. Upon his arrival, Billy is rebuffed by employees Daryl and Lucy. Undeterred, Billy manages to charm Alice with a brazen lie, and she decides to consider accepting his stories. Later in the day, Lucy invites Alice to a dance which she declines. This prompts Alice to privately reflect on a time in her youth where she would have gone to dance (“Way Back in the Day”).
A flashback to Alice’s hometown Zebulon, North Carolina in 1923 unfolds onstage, where a sixteen-year-old Alice flirts with Jimmy Ray Dobbs (“Whoa, Mama”). The teenage pair return to their respective homes later only to be reprimanded and lectured by their respective parents. Alice is scolded by her parents while she ponders about her future life (“Firmer Hand/Do Right”), and Jimmy Ray is admonished about his future by his father, Mayor Josiah Dobbs (“A Man’s Gotta Do”).
As Bright Star’s story shifts focus to the past, rental costumes provided by The Costumer will accurately present the change in time period as well. Alice will quick change into a youthful and summery 1920’s style dress, and her teenage lover, Jimmy Ray, will be clothed in work clothes and suspenders of the era. Mayor Dobbs will embody that of a 1920’s local politician in a twenties styled conservative double-breasted suit.
As the story continues, it is revealed that Alice experiences a heartbreaking tragedy in her past, however her burgeoning connection with Billy emboldens her to search for answers. The answers she subsequently finds will change her and Billy’s lives forever. While this is only a mere glimpse into the story of Bright Star, The Costumer will be with you every step of the way to create this world of Southern Americana with the help of our rental costumes. Request your free plot today!
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