Love and music triumph in ‘Bridges of Madison County’

With a lush, hypnotic score and exquisite orchestrations by three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, the romantic musical “The Bridges of Madison County” soars in songs.

The music is the show’s strong suit, and the cast tugs at our emotions, delivering wistful, soulful songs that will linger.

Brown, who won two of his Tonys for this show and the other one for “Parade,” really shines through duets. (Check out “The Next Ten Minutes” from his “The Last Five Years.”)

When the lovers Elizabeth Stanley, as Italian war bride Francesca, and Andrew Samonsky, as the wandering adventurer Robert, sing a duet on “One Second and a Million Miles,” it’s magical.

This musical adaptation uniquely interprets the 192 pages of Robert James Waller’s 1992 book, a flimsy, corny and heartbreaking fantasy that spent three years on the bestseller list.

Say what you will about its triteness and sentimentality, but when National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid shot the covered bridges of Winterset, Iowa, drank iced tea on a hot summer’s day in 1965 with lonely housewife Francesca Johnson, and then spent the next four days in passionate embraces, it connected with women.

The 1995 movie, in which Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep vividly brought new colors to the roles, elicited more tears. (Who sobbed along with me when she grabbed the pickup truck door handle?)

For the musical, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman broadened the production’s scope, adding nosy neighbors, a stronger portrait of Francesca’s family, and aspects of small-town life. While they provide insight and humor, those changes don’t entirely work. The second act’s prolonged montage of what happened after reality intruded upon the fairy tale dragged interminably.

The most jarring stumble was acclaimed director Bartlett Sher’s decision to sit townspeople on the sidelines, silently judging the clandestine couple. He also inserted characters in scenes, which distracted and ruined the flow.

The heart of the piece ultimately is the love story. Because of a musical’s structure, there isn’t time to slowly build the attraction, culminating in the combustible passion of these two people from different worlds. So the life-changing affair escalates quickly — and depending on your outlook, might seem far-fetched.

But the pair of Broadway veterans convey longing and desire, projecting authenticity.

The swoon-worthy Samonsky perfectly embodies the rugged outsider, a prototype romance novel hero, in “The World Inside a Frame,” and aches in “It All Fades Away.” Pretty angelic soprano Stanley, noticeably blossoming through Robert’s attention, expresses regrets in “Almost Real.”

But at times, Stanley’s dense Italian accent can be a hindrance, obscuring dialogue or lyrics.

Castmates Bud (Cullen Titmas), neighbors Charlie (David Hess) and Marge (Mary Callanan), and Marian/Chiara/State Fair Singer Katie Klaus are able to showcase a broader range of musical styles.

The orchestra, featuring multiple string instruments, does a masterful job. Music director Keith Levenson worked with piano, guitars, drums and several violins, a viola and cello, for a luxuriant sound.

Multiple set pieces assemble rural interiors and exteriors in a striking way, with a gorgeous starry night sky adding a nice texture.

Paradise might be lost, but the love story endures — no matter what vehicle speaks (or sings) to you.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Love and music triumph in ‘Bridges of Madison County’."