Clinton’s Southwest Playhouse has never shied away from big stories, and this month’s production of Bright Star proves it again. Written by comedian and banjo-picker Steve Martin and singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, the musical blends small-town heartbreak with toe-tapping bluegrass in a way that feels both familiar and brand new.
Set in the 1920s and 1940s, Bright Star follows Alice Murphy, a woman whose past holds a secret powerful enough to shape her future. Around her, lives intertwine through love, loss, and the stubborn hope that even the deepest wounds can heal. It’s a story of redemption, resilience, and the kind of second chances western Oklahomans know a thing or two about.
AMBITIOUS STORYTELLING
Director Marjorie Anderson has a long history of tackling ambitious, emotionally charged shows at Southwest Playhouse. Bright Star is no exception. It’s not a lightweight musical comedy; it’s a show that asks audiences to sit with heartache, faith, and family secrets — then rewards them with laughter, hope, and music that soars.
Anderson was backed by a dedicated production crew who managed the challenges of a story that moves back and forth in time, shifting from young love and dreams in the 1920s to the lives shaped by those choices two decades later. Their combined effort created a production that showcases what community theater does best: neighbors stepping onto the stage to tell a story that matters, supported by a full team working behind the scenes.
CAST AND CHARACTERS From the leading roles to the ensemble, every performance reflected hours of dedication and passion. That commitment showed not just on stage, but in the way the audience responded — riding the big emotional swings of laughter, heartache, and surprise right along with the cast. You could feel the energy moving through the house.
Blair Barnett as Alice Murphy delivers something outstanding: she carries both the fire of youthful hope and the weight of long-suffering grief with a grace that makes you believe in her journey. Opposite her, Wesley Jarvorsky as Jimmy Ray Dobbs brings a grounded earnestness, and the onstage chemistry between Blair and Jarvorsky is palpable — it’s one of those pairings that lingers after the final bow.
Supporting highlights include Whitten Eustace as Billy Cane, Hannah Gregory as Margo Crawford, and Christopher Curtis as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, each bringing moments of humor, heart, and clarity to the story. The rest of the supporting cast and ensemble — more than a dozen local performers — filled the world of Bright Star with warmth, energy, and presence.
MUSIC AT THE HEART One of the biggest surprises of Bright Star is the live orchestra. It’s not every day a community theater fills the room with piano, bass, percussion, guitar, banjo, and violin — and this orchestra clearly has a heartbeat of its own.
The program may list a violinist, but more than once it felt like that violin turned into a fiddle right in front of your ears. From the first pluck to the final bow, the orchestra kept the house buzzing with bluegrass energy that pulled the audience straight into the story.
A COMMUNITY EFFORT Productions like this one take more than actors and musicians. Stage crew, set designers, costumers, and volunteers all came together to make Bright Star possible. From quick set changes to the care that went into costumes and props, every piece of the Playhouse family left its mark on the show.
The payoff was clear: a house full of people swept up in a story told by their friends and neighbors.
WHY IT MATTERS
Community theater isn’t just about entertainment. It’s about giving local performers the chance to grow, audiences the chance to gather, and towns like Clinton a reason to come together around a shared story.
Southwest Playhouse continues to be a cornerstone of that effort. Each season, it brings western Oklahoma productions that might otherwise never be staged here. With Bright Star, the Playhouse offered an evening of live music, heartfelt storytelling, and the kind of local talent that makes small-town theater shine.
IF YOU GO
Bright Star runs September 12-14 and September 19-21 at the Southwest Playhouse, 6th & Nowahy, Clinton. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 PM, and Sunday performances at 2:00 PM. Tickets are available at the box office or online at southwestplayhouse. com.
It’s not every weekend that western Oklahoma gets a story this big, this emotional, and this full of music that will stick in your head all the way home. If you want to laugh, cry, and tap your foot in the same night, Bright Star is waiting for you in Clinton.
