In its first week of digital release (April 15), the Ghostlight Records album of Bridges debuted at #1 on the Billboard Cast Recording chart and also broke into the Billboard Top 200, nabbing the #53 spot on the Billboard Overall Digital Albums, while nabbing the #184 spot on the Billboard Top 200 albums.
The album returned to the Billboard charts following the May 20 physical release, returning to the #1 spot on the Billboard Cast Recording chart and placing at #86 in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.
Produced by composer-lyricist Brown and Jeffrey Lesser with Kurt Deutsch as executive producer, the physical CD includes a deluxe 32-page booklet with complete lyrics, color photos, a synopsis by Norman, notes by Brown and an essay by writer and critic Jesse Green.
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (Golden Boy, South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) helmed the musical that has a score by Tony winner Brown (Parade, Songs for a New World) and a book by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Norman (The Secret Garden, 'Night Mother).
The new musical ended its Broadway run May 18 after 137 performances. The track listing follows:
"To Build a Home"
"Home Before You Know It"
"Temporarily Lost"
"What Do You Call a Man Like That?"
"You’re Never Alone"
"Another Life"
"Wondering"
"Look At Me"
"The World Inside a Frame"
"Something From a Dream"
"Get Closer"
"Falling Into You"
"State Road 21"
"Who We Are And Who We Want To Be"
"Almost Real"
"Before and After You"
"One Second and a Million Miles"
"When I’m Gone"
"It All Fades Away"
"Always Better"
Read critics' reviews for the musical here.
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Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific, Nice Work If You Can Get It) and Steven Pasquale (Reasons to Be Pretty, Far From Heaven, "Rescue Me") lead the cast as Italian-American housewife Francesca Johnson and National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid, respectively.
Read: An Affair to Remember — Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale Talk The Bridges of Madison County.
Tony nominee Hunter Foster (Hands on a Hardbody, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors) portrays Bud Johnson, with Derek Klena (Wicked) and Caitlin Kinnunen (Spring Awakening) as teenagers Michael and Carolyn Johnson, respectively.
The romantic musical centers on a brief, four-day love affair between a National Geographic photographer and an Italian-American housewife in 1965 Iowa. Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep starred in the 1995 film adaptation.
Cass Morgan (Memphis) and Michael X. Martin (Catch Me If You Can) play the roles of Marge and Charlie, the ever-present next door neighbors. The cast is completed by Whitney Bashor, Jennifer Allen, Ephie Aardema, Katie Klaus, Luke Marinkovich, Aaron Ramey, Dan Sharkey, Tim Wright, Jessica Vosk, Charlie Franklin and Kevin Kern.
The creative team included Michael Yeargan (scenic design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Jon Weston (sound design), Deborah Hecht (dialect coach) and Thomas Murray (music director).
The musical was produced by Jeffrey Richards, Stacey Mindich, and Jerry Frankel. They will be joined by Gutterman Chernoff, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Carl Daikeler, Scott M. Delman, Aaron Priest, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Independent Presenters Network, Libby Adler Mages/Mari Stuart, Caiola Productions, Remmel Dickinson, David Lancaster, Bellanca Smigel Rutter, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Will Trice, with Warner Bros Theatre Ventures and The Shubert Organization.
For more information visit BridgesOfMadisonCountyMusical.com.
