"Enjoyable as much of it is, ‘Bright Star’...may not shine as brightly in Broadway’s constellation as some of its more unique and noteworthy competitors. It’ll be interesting to see if its pleasing bluegrass score, strong performances, and smart staging are enough to compensate for its thin book, melodramatically coincidental premise, stereotypical Southern-fried characters, and conventional situations."
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"After collaborating on two bluegrass albums, Martin and Brickell decided to create a musical around the songs. The result is 'Bright Star', a tuneful, well-performed display of American roots music...Its sweet score makes up for the preposterous if occasionally moving story...This straightforward if complicated plot starts to merge, taking turns so improbable (and yet so predictable)...'Bright Star' largely insists on the earnest, sentimental tone of an old-fashioned musical."
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"'Bright Star' boasts a lively and lovely bluegrass score...If you like the toe-tapping sounds of banjos, fiddles, and guitars, there’s plenty of that on hand, and it’s all good. The story Brickell and Martin tell falls in tone somewhere between realism and folk tale, a mix that doesn’t always blend smoothly but one that gets the job done and opens the way for the excellent cast to win our hearts...Cusack's is one of those magical debuts that can launch a performer to stardom.”
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"There is something winning and infectious about 'Bright Star'...Even with a sweet ending that’s predictable by intermission, its charms are enough to engage viewers along the way...The assembled cast is uniformly strong, but the show belongs to Ms. Cusack...Martin brings a clever hand to the musical’s book, mixing earnest, sometimes poetic storytelling with welcome laughs...But I do have to say—and I really wish I didn’t—that it’s aggravatingly vanilla."
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“The simplicity of folksy ‘Bright Star’ is in the economy of Walter Bobbie’s direction and Eugene Lee’s set design...And while the musicians, including a standout fiddler, are only partially seen, their music is notable...Even for those who aren’t bluegrass fans, the score is a winner. ‘Bright Star’ is a traditional musical with a dark edge. No bells and whistles, just heart and soul."
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"There’s much to admire in the final product: The musical is twangy and tightly performed, with a sweeping score. My enjoyment was muted only by the mostly modest character development...Of Martin’s book, I felt that too often I was being told what to feel, without being given opportunity to feel it...I’m sure there are great hopes riding on 'Bright Star'. It’s not a perfect musical; this 'Star' doesn’t always guide the way, but at times it beams brightly enough."
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"An astoundingly uneven stew...Most of this glum narrative plays out in exceedingly sincere fashion...Still, it has its moments, but then come a series of relentlessly happy endings that not only challenge credibility but almost make the whole enterprise seem ridiculous. This unevenness is reflected in Walter Bobbie’s direction and Josh Rhodes’ choreography...What is spectacular about the show is the score."
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"I found their story engrossing, entertaining, and very moving...The music is lively, but the fiddle and the banjo can only go so far to interestingly cover some twenty songs...I thought the melodies embellished the story more than the lyrics did, but the story itself, though somewhat predictable, is neatly told and very well crafted…There isn’t a lemon in this boatload of performing talent...Walter Bobbie has blended them all together into a refreshing smoothie of a musical."
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