In stage musical, wedded actors hope their love shines through
Two married actors hope that their real-life bond will reinforce the romantic chemistry in “The Bridges of Madison County.”
SRO Theatre Company will present the area premiere of the Broadway musical, which will open on Friday at the Columbus Performing Arts Center.
Taryn and David Hammond will play the lead roles of Francesca Johnson, a lonely housewife, and Robert Kincaid, a roving photographer for National Geographic, who have a brief affair in the 1960s in Iowa. Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood starred in the 1995 film.
“We actually do love each other, and I think it’s going to show,” Taryn Hammond said. “The nice thing about David and I, besides our romantic chemistry, is that we can be very natural and believable together.”
Casting a married couple as the leads was a tough decision, director Kristofer Green said, “but they were just the best two for the role.”
Composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown (“13,” “The Last Five Years”) and author Marsha Norman (“‘night Mother,” “The Color Purple”) based the musical on Robert James Waller’s bestselling 1992 novel but expanded the characterizations of Francesca’s family and small-town community.
“Brown’s score is what really drew me,” Green said. “It’s so original and has got everything from classical and operatic songs to bluegrass, pop tunes and Broadwaystyle songs.”
Brown, who won a Tony award in 1999 for the score of “Parade,” won two more in 2014 for his score and orchestrations for “Bridges.”
“Brown has a great understanding of how to capture a
$25, or $20 for students and senior citizens; $20 and $15 for the May 5 matinee; $15 for the preview moment with a song,” Green said.
The operatic and lyrical progression aptly reflects Francesca’s journey from loneliness to love, Green said.
“Once Francesca meets Robert, the mood brightens, and the music sets that pattern.”
Taryn, 34, plays Francesca in her late 30s.
“Keeping herself busy with the responsibilities of running a farm and raising a family, Francesca puts her kids and husband first but doesn’t make time for herself,” she said.
“But she finds herself drawn to this man. … She gains in self-awareness, and the affair allows her to dream again.”
The actress found it easy to relate to her role — she graduated in 2005 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I understand Iowa culture and the people of Iowa, and I’ve been to the bridges of Madison County,” Taryn said. “The script is pretty realistic. People in small-town Iowa do know everybody’s business and do help each other out.”
David Hammond, 34, plays Robert in his early 40s.
“Robert doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. He’s a citizen of the world but doesn’t call any particular place home,” he said.
“He feels like he’s on the outside looking in. … There’s a sense of urgency about finding happiness before it’s too late.”
This is the 11th show the Hammonds have performed in together — and their fourth as romantic leads. After co-starring in the Hilliard Arts Council’s “Funny Girl” (2014), they were married in 2015.
“This isn’t our first rodeo,” Taryn said. “But this is different because he’s my lover in the musical, not my husband.”
Beyond their chemistry, David said, the couple reads each other well.
“That’s important when you’re in leading roles because a lot has to be conveyed with small gestures, body language, silence,” he said. “We still have to play the characters, but that’s a lot easier to do with someone you know well.”