Williamstown Theatre Festival is currently hosting the world premier of the new Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown musical The Bridges of Madison County which is slated to begin it run on Broadway in January.
As the trend of reproducing iconic movies and novels continues on Broadway this may be one of the most highly anticipated new shows for 2014 but even more importantly one of the most challenging to adapt.
The Robert James Waller novel sold over 60 million copes and was on the New York Times best seller list for over three years. It was adapted into a very popular film directed by and staring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Francesca, in 1995.The film grossed over $71 million dollars domestically and worldwide took in over $110 millions is ticket sales.
The novel, which was initially scoffed at by critics and the publishing elite, became a pop phenomenon and was embraced by it's fans, who still consider it one of the most passionate and compelling romance novels written in the late 20th century. So to say this is not an easy undertaking to adapt and transform this work to a musical and Broadway is an understatement to say the least.
Staring Elena Shaddow as Francesca the Iowa housewife and Steven Pasquale as Robert the wandering Nation Geographic photographer, who is sent to Iowa to photograph covered bridges. Their random meeting is the result of the Robert being lost and asking for directions. This begins the four day odyssey that will change the both of them forever.
Is this housewife escapism fantasy? Yes and hardly no as Francesca was complex, strong, and intelligent in both the novel and the film. This is revealed in this quote about her feelings for Robert. " And in that moment everything I knew to be true about myself up until then was gone. I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before" No shame or guilt in that realization.
Sadly this musical does not take, or even use, the source material to create a modern romantic, passionate and compelling feminist interpretation of this story. Instead Norman chooses to desecrate the romance of Francesca and Robert and reduce it to cliche gender stereotyping of the worst kind. The wife with two bratty kids and a well intention husband who has willfully lost his spiritual and sexual connection to his wife years ago and only expects a well cooked dinner on the table.
She is over worked and under appreciated. Just another disappointed and stuck Midwestern woman.
The complete opposite of the literary and film versions of Francesca.
Robert, who abandon his young first wife, is the artist and the wandering beatnik. He is the white knight in blue jeans and cowboy boots who comes to her "rescue".
Marsha Norman also injects a nosy neighbor and best friend, who is the traditional family moral consciousness of the show, but who continually adds comic levity peppered with sexual innuendos that instead work to undermine the importance of why these two people make a connection in the story and sadly prevent it from being explored as Francesca and Robert do in the novel and film. These sub-characters and the amount of time spent telling " their" stories is both unnecessary and a complete distraction.
As for the music the first act does have some beautiful orchestration written by Jason Robert Brown, who chooses to pull on many modern influences to try to create the depth and insight needed to understand and be drawn into Francesca and Robert's romance. You get a early Joni Mitchell inspired " Another" sung by Robert's ex-wife. Robert and Francesca's first number together is " Wondering" which is the seventh number of the show and is good but does not drawn you into their world. The lyrics are the weakness in many of the songs in this show, as many are rather simple and prevent any real emotional expression or depth for the characters. Norman's book only compounds this as the interactions between Francesca and Robert are often limited to surface only interactions. The intelligence and insights of the novel are neglected which prevents the audience from understanding these characters' choices and feelings. Plus the lack of chemistry between Shaddow and Pasquale is also disappointing as well.
One of the best number is " You're Never Alone" which is sung by Bud, Francesca's husband played by Daniel Jenkins, and is about the community they live in but sadly does nothing to propel the story. "The World Inside a Frame" does a good job of providing details into Robert's passion for photography, light and noticing the moment. The nosy neighbor Marge, Cass Morgan sings a bluesy tune that is the soundtrack to Robert and Francesca's slow dancing which leads to their first kiss is also quite good. " Falling Into You" is good but leaves you wanting more from this romance so far. Shaddow and Pasquale do get to showcase their vocal prowess on this closing number.
The second act opens with the redundant " State Fair" with a chorus of "Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh... at the state fair" repeated so often I felt like I was in a episode of Glee. The romance of Francesca and Robert is almost complete abandoned in this act as we are continually forced feed back story that deludes the romance even more. The number that brings back together Francesca and Robert is " One Second and a Million Miles" left me wondering why? " We are only one second with a million miles to go" If this is the pinnacle moment of their romance please take me out to barn and shoot me now.
This is followed by the worst and most unnecessary number in the show. " He Forgave Me" It begins as a letter read by Francesca's fourteen year old daughter Carolyn, played by Caitlin Kinnunen, which was sent from Francesca's promiscuous sister Chaira back in Naples. This is simply the whore Madonna complex number of the show. As men are reduced to boys with toys and woman are unapologetic adulterers who are in complete control of their far from equal partners. This song borders on misogyny and completely invalidated Francesca's experience as a woman who can explore her own sexual destiny on her terms.
This is followed by the nail in the coffin of this show by the return of Bud and the kids from the state fair in Indianapolis. They come home to a Francesca, who has now become a frantic housewife who forgets to make dinner for her returning family and is racked with guilt for her "sins" after romping around with Robert for the last four days.Any dramatic opportunity for a real exchange between this husband and wife is simply squandered as Bud quickly surrenders after he does sense something has occurred while the family was away and quietly goes off to bed.
The next two numbers fast track years of ups and downs with her family as well as Robert's life in ways that are devoid of any really drama or feeling. Its simply to tie up the very loose ends by reaffirming that being a a" good" mom and wife for the rest of her life was Francesca's destiny.
June Cleaver would have been proud.
Then you get the "convenient" death of Bud but then guess what? You get the neighbor Charlie, who also kicked the bucket, and Bud singing the clever " When I'm Gone" but it is too little too late.
Freedom for Francesca? Liberation to follow her heart?
First we need to hear from the beatnik cowboy...who is now full of regret wondering if Francesca ever called and is quitting his job,burning old photographs, and disappearing to who knows or rather who cares where.
The closing number " Always Better" could not come close to capturing that spark of spiritual love and mutual certainty that the novel granted Francesca and Robert with. A brief deep sexual and spiritual connection, that both in the book and movie, enhanced these characters and was part of who they were and to become. It was a positive life changing experience and not a painful selfish mistake that was meant to haunt them for the rest of their lives with regret.
A far more effective approach would have been to dump the sub-characters and focus solely on Francesca and Robert using duets between them to express their feelings and the depth of their brief and life changing connection.
Instead we are left with predictable and generic fare that carries no emotional weight at all.
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