Bright Star, a bluegrass-inspired musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, tells a sweeping tale of love, loss, and redemption set in the American South during the 1920s and 1940s. The story follows literary editor Alice Murphy (Vanessa Domingues), whose encounter with a young soldier returning home compels her to confront a haunting secret from her past. Equipped with only that brief synopsis, I was already sold. You see, I readily admit to being a fan of Martin’s writing – his plays and novellas are quite lovely – so I expected nothing less from the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre’s production on opening night.

Let’s talk about Dominguez’s Alice. This role is clearly no easy feat, and the performer handled it as though it were written specifically for her. Playing both a teenager and a 40-something woman believably might seem almost impossible, but Dominguez transitioned between ages with such fluidity that it felt as though we, the audience, were drifting through her memories right alongside her. And then there’s her voice: a clear, commanding instrument that navigates the bluegrass score with jaw-dropping ease. Over the course of the evening, Alice rides emotional highs and devastating lows, and Dominguez meets each with nuance, instinct, and vulnerability. It’s a magnetic performance.