Set in 1965 in the Iowan countryside, this musical takes you along on the intimate romance of a housewife and a visiting photographer. Italian Francesca Johnson has settled into family life on the farm, ever the dutiful wife. When her husband and children leave for a state fair, Francesca looks forward to having four days entirely to herself. Soon Robert Kincaid, a photographer working on a story of the bridges of Madison County for National Geographic appears on her porch in the sweltering heat, looking for directions. When Francesca agrees to guide him, the quiet bridge nearby is only one of the destinations the journey might take them.
A charismatic and intimate love story
The bittersweet love story depicted in the Bridges of Madison County first appeared in 1992 in a novel penned by Robert James Waller. Audiences may be familiar with the 1995 film of the same name, starring none other than Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. The musical came out in 2013 and has been performed on Broadway. The first Finnish staging, Hiljaiset sillat (the musical), will be directed by Samuel Harjanne, one of the top names in Finnish musical theatre. Harjanne, who has a penchant for showmanship and spectacle is looking forward to exploring new paths:
“Ultimately, I just love to make people cry! Hiljaiset sillat is propelled by a strong story and I believe it will work best without excessive adornment. In this musical, I am relying 100% on the charisma of the performers, the heartbreakingly beautiful music and the melodrama that so strongly struck a chord with me.”
Relying on charisma is a safe bet with the supremely talented Maria Ylipää starring as Francesca and Jonas Saari as Robert. The rest of the ensemble consists of Akseli Ferrand, Marika Huomolin, Linda Hämäläinen, Anna-Maija Jalkanen, Stefan Karlsson, Julius Martikainen, Peter Nyberg, Lasse Pajunen, Kirsi Tarvainen and Reeta Vestman. Musical veteran Eeva Kontu is charge of the musical adaptation.
The Main stage has perhaps never felt this intimate: the heat emanating from the two lovers can be felt from the very last row.
Book: Marsha Norman
Lyrics and Orchestration: Jason Robert Brown
Original novel: Robert James Waller
Translation of songs: Hanna Kaila
Translation of musical book: Reita Lounatvuori
Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe). Originally Produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Stacey Mindich, Jerry Frankel, Gutterman Chernoff, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Carl Daikeler, Michael Desantis, Aaron Priest, Libby Adler Mages/Mari Glick Stuart, Scott M. Delman, Independent Presenters Network, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Caiola Productions, Remmel T. Dickinson, Ken Greiner, David Lancaster, Bellanca Smigel Rutter, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Will Trice. With the cooperation of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Inc. and The Shubert Organization. In association with The Williamstown Theatre Festival. Yhteistyössä Harjanne Company Ltd Oy.
