Wednesday, May 23, through Saturday, July 14
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Adapted from the literary phenomenon and Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated movie, the musical version of The Bridges of Madison County makes its Quad Cities debut at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse May 23 through July 14 – a rare romantic drama at the venue whose Broadway production was praised by the Associated Press for its “superb, thrilling score,” and by Time Out NY for being “a new work that plays like a classic.”
The musical tells the tale of Francesca Johnson, a beautiful Italian woman who married an American soldier to flee war-ravaged Italy, and who, with her family heading to the 1965 State Fair, now looks forward to a rare four days alone on her Iowa farm. But when ruggedly handsome National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid pulls into her driveway seeking directions, what happens in those four days may very well alter the course of Francesca's life. Based on the bestselling novel by Robert James Waller – a book that spent 164 consecutive weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List – and developed by the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning creative team of Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years and Parade) and Marsha Norman ('night, Mother and The Secret Garden), The Bridges of Madison County captures the lyrical expanse of America's heartland along with the yearning entangled in the eternal question “What if … ?” The show also won 2014 Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations in a presentation directed by the legendary Bartlett Sher.
Directing Circa '21's Bridges of Madison County is venue veteran Warner Crocker, whose previous area productions have included Southern Crossroads, Boeing-Boeing, and Always a Bridesmaid. Francesca is played by stage favorite Jenny Winn, who also portrayed the role at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre last summer, and whose additional credits include Quad City Music Guild's Guys & Dolls, Beauty & the Beast, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Robert Kinkaid is enacted by Don Denton, a veteran of Circa '21's Les Misérables, The Full Monty, and It's a Wonderful Life, and the show's gifted ensemble is composed of Sam Fahrenkug, Doug Kutzli, Autumn O'Ryan, Anna Segatti, and the father/daughter team of Tom and Krianna Walljasper.
In addition to its preview performances on May 23 and 24, The Bridges of Madison County will be performed Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:45 p.m.; Sundays at 5:45 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. All shows will be preceded by meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.
