“Very bittersweet” is how Carmen Cusack describes her emotions as she heads to Salt Lake City to perform the last act of her career-changing role in “Bright Star, ”Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Americana musical.
“If you knew my story, you’d have a hard time believing me,” Cusak’s character sings in the musical’s opening number. “You’d think I was lying / Joy and sorrow never last / I’ll die trying not to live in the past.”
Those lyrics have deep emotional resonance for the actor, who earned a Tony Award nomination for originating the role in her Broadway debut.