They’ll be home before you know it! And by home we mean back to the stage— the live stage, Max Theatre at Signature to be specific. Signature Theatre launches its 2023/2024 season with the 2013 Broadway musical— The Bridges of Madison County, with music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Norman. Based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Robert James Waller, Bridges (as it is affectionally referred to in the theatre world) won the 2014 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations— after the show had closed on Broadway. In a TheatreBloom sit-down over-the-phone interview, we’re chatting with Julia Wheeler Lennon about the production; she plays Carolyn, the teenaged daughter of the show’s protagonist.
Welcome, Julia! Thank you so much for giving us some of your time, we really appreciate it! Is this your first show with Signature?
Julia Wheeler Lennon: It’s actually not, this is my third production with them. The first two were Into The Woods and Sweeney Todd. I was a swing for both productions.
Did you end up with any chances to go in for either performance?
Julia: I did, for both shows, actually. I had the chance to go in for all of the tracks that I covered for both shows. And for Into The Woods, because we had so many Covid cases, it was during a peak-Covid moment in time, I actually gained a track during the run of that show, which was really a fun adventure.
I can imagine! This will be your first official cast role with a Signature Theatre production. Tell me a little bit about your role as Carolyn in The Bridges of Madison County.
Julia: I can’t stop pinching myself. It’s been the most fun adventure! I play Carolyn, who is the daughter of Francesca and Bud Johnson in the show. She’s 14, she has a prize-winning steer that she goes to the Indiana State Fair to show, and she’s super fun to play. She’s 14— so there are a of big feelings and angst involved. There’s a lot of conflict with her older brother Michael (Nolan Montgomery.) It’s just loads of fun. There are tons of love in the show. I don’t how familiar you are with Bridges, but I think it’s great because you see all kinds of love. You see romantic love, you see familial love, you see passion, there’s neighborly love, there’s a great community between women in the show. It just offers so many great different representations of love.
And who wouldn’t use a little more love in the world right now? What is it about Bridges that made you interested in the show? I don’t want to make any assumptions about age, but I’m going to take a leap here and say that you were quite possibly not the target-demographic for either Robert James Waller’s 1992 novel or the 1995 film adaptation starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. But maybe you have some other connection to the work or maybe you just love Jason Robert Brown’s music? What is it about The Bridges of Madison County that made you say, “Yes, I need to go audition for that?”
Julia: I think first and foremost, I just leaped at the opportunity to work with Ethan Heard (Director), who I hadn’t worked with previously but I saw his production of Which Way To The Stage? in the previous Signature Season, as well as Pacific Overtures and I was just so excited even to just get in the room and audition with him. I was thrilled to even just see his process and how he talks about things. I think he’s just such a brilliant mind. That was probably the initial draw. On top of that, the score is probably one of the most beautiful score written by a contemporary voice in the past ten years. It’s just so sweeping and there are so many different styles in it. I was really excited in my audition to work on some of those pieces. And that has continued to be the case. Then when I met the rest of the cast and heard all of these incredible voices that we’re adding to it, it’s just been such an amazing opportunity.
I know you mentioned that Carolyn is 14 and has a lot of ‘big feelings.’ What are you finding are some of the challenges of adapting yourself to playing a 14-year-old 4H girl? She’s got a steer in rural Indiana, so I think it’s a fair assumption that Carolyn is a 4H girl. And noting that you grew up in Southport, CT I’m going to make the leap that you were perhaps not a 4H girl growing up.
Julia: That is just a universe that I did not know much about going into the process! I’ve been talking a lot with Ethan about how to find the stakes for Carolyn with raising this prize-winning steer. Especially when you consider the time period. This is really the difference between her going to college and not. The prize money— we looked it up— it would equate to about four-semesters worth of college tuition. So going into the show, my mindset was more, “Okay, she has a cow, she loves cows. Cool.” But really investigating what this means from a cultural and economic standpoint for this kid, the stakes are huge! I never really knew, culturally, just how important the state fairs were, especially in this time period.
On top of that— I won’t necessarily give away how old I actually am— but remembering what it was like to be 14 has been a huge part of the process. I know for myself, as well as the incredible actor, Nolan Montgomery, who plays my older brother, Michael, just really honoring the real feelings that teenagers feel has been really fun to explore and remind each other of. I’ve been listening to a lot of angsty teen music and just trying to bring back that reality. Adults look at teenagers’ feelings and think they’re just ‘really out there’ and ‘way too big.’ And to teenagers that’s their real life and their real feelings. So exploring that has been a real treat.
Was there something that was a part of your life at 14-ish or thereabouts that was your driving passion the way Carolyn’s driving passion is raising this steer to compete in the State Fair?
Julia: Yeah. It was theatre at that age. I was joking with some of my castmates the other day. We were talking about roles and shows that were kind of really formative experiences for us. My high school theatre program was small but mighty! And we did a production of Into The Woods when I was 15, I think. And I just crack up thinking about how unbelievably serious I was about it! And how it felt like the most important thing I would ever do in my life and it needed to be perfect. I thought it was the single-most important thing in the world at that age. Remembering what that production felt like is quite similar to the stakes that Carolyn feels. Although she’s got so much more riding on her prize steer.
Now Julia, you do not have a secret cow as a pet or prize-winning bovine hanging around somewhere?
Julia: I don’t. I was devastated to learn that we will not have a live cow in the production. Haha! Maybe we can get that puppet from last season’s Into The Woods out of storage.
That’s delightful! But you do have a pet— one of the pets that I have, in fact! Though I have six of them. You have a cat, I believe?
Julia: Yes, a sweet old cat named Tony and he’s a very grump guy!
That’s adorable. Maybe Tony can make his stage debut as a cow someday. Now, you have a couple of songs that you get to sing in, with some featured solo moments. Do you have a moment that you sing that speaks to what the truth of The Bridges of Madison County is for you?
Julia: There are a couple of moments in the show where we sing this distinct, beautiful piece of music in unison and then some harmonies. And we’re usually singing in songs that Francesca (Erin Davie) is singing lead vocals on. There is just something so beautiful about this musical line that happens a couple different times throughout the show with all six ensemble vocalists and Francesca. It’s such a robust sound. And the way that Ethan has encouraged us to think about it is that it’s just embodying love. For the community, for Francesca, and for one another on stage as artists. I think its very rare to get to have moments of connection with your castmates like that in a show where you’re really just singing in unison, looking into each other’s eyes, and just finding that moment of generosity, love, and connection with them. I love that that’s just built into the show in a couple of different places. You kind of just get to take a deep breath, sing all together, sing in unison, and then sing out in six different vocal parts. And the vocalists in our show are incredible. It’s such a treat to get to hear and feel enveloped in that sound for a few bars every run of the show. It’s such a treat.
That sounds truly stunning. Now, you have been to a state or county fair of some sort at some point in your life, yes?
Julia: Having grown up in Connecticut, we have pretty cute but very small state fairs. I’m actually heading to the Arlington County Fair next week with Signature and I’m really stoked about it because I think it will be a little bit more than what the little old nutmeg state had to offer me growing up.
So you don’t necessarily have a favorite past-time from a state or county fair then.
Julia: Not really, no. I mean, Connecticut State Fairs are not as exciting as I would imagine the Indiana State Fair would be. Or the Arlington one we’re going to. So I’m really excited to explore that!
I’ll make my official recommendation— find the Bingo Hall and play Bingo. Eat a corn dog. Eat a deep-fried…anything. That’s an American State-Fair must. I’m partial to Deep Fried Oreos. But to each their own. And eat your food and beverages AFTER riding the rides on the midway. Cannot stress that enough. And enjoy the livestock; they are really cute most of the time.
Julia: That’s all great advice, I will definitely keep that in mind. I am so excited! And you know, it’s funny— I’m actually excited to try a real county-fair corn dog. My character references having eaten seven of them.
Seven of them!? Oh goodness.
Julia: Yeah, she says that at one point during the show and I’m excited to breathe some life into that by trying a real county-fair corn dog.
My advice would be to have one. One county-fair corn dog. And I think that will probably be enough!
Julia: That may be plenty. Especially since Carolyn says, “I ate seven corn dogs and I think I might die.” So maybe I’ll just eat the one. But I’m still excited about going to the fair! It’s going to be fun!
I’m excited for you! It should be very fun. Now, is there a moment in the show that you’re not a part of that you just find yourself sneaking a peek at, trying to watch, every time it happens?
Julia: Oh my gosh, absolutely. There are so many moments between Erin Davie (playing Francesca) and Mark Evans (playing Robert) that no matter how many hours we’ve been sitting in the rehearsal room, my head just snaps up to watch. I would say probably, “Falling Into You” is one of my favorite moments in the show. It’s the Act-I closer and they just have such a beautiful connection with one another on stage, and you hear some of the most beautiful Jason Robert Brown lyrics. Their vocal moments are just stunning. Really anything that they sing together is just my favorite part of the show. And then there’s this flashback moment— a song called “Almost Real” that Erin sings. And it includes a lot of our cast members as flashbacks from Francesca’s life in Italy. I think the staging and choreography that our choreographer Kelly (Kelly Crandall d’Amboise) created in those moments is just so beautiful and it really does look like you’re peeking into Francesca’s memory. We haven’t teched it yet, but I cannot wait to see how that comes to life even more with light and sound. Erin just sings it so beautifully; it’s a great moment.
Now have you ever been out to the actual covered bridges of Madison County? Which I think is Madison County, Iowa.
Julia: I have not. But I have been out that way. I did a Theatreworks USA national tour and we went through those pockets of the country but sadly I have never seen the bridges in real life. But it’s a beautiful landscape to drive through. Everyone had always said that it was just flat and that there was nothing out there. But when you’re actually driving through that area of the country, it’s so vast and expansive and I thought it was stunningly beautiful. I do hope to get out there and see the covered bridges at some point, but I am glad that I’ve seen how beautiful the rural areas of Iowa are.
Maybe after you guys finish up at the Arlington County Fair, you can carry on the field-trip and make your way over to the bridges in Madison County, Iowa. It’s only a few hundred more miles, right?
Julia: Absolutely! That sounds like a great idea.
What has it meant to you, as an up-and-coming young actor to get to be a part of this production, which although as a musical is ‘relatively new’ but has that timeless sound and feel to it and is set in a time many decades in the past. What has that experience been like for you and what has that meant to you on a personal level?
Julia: This is one of the more contemporary musicals that I’ve ever gotten to do. It’s just meant the world to me to be in the room with such seasoned artists. These are the most creative, inventive performers I’ve ever been in a room with. I find myself learning so much from every artist in the room. On top of that, there’s just something so fun to me about getting to sing the contemporary style that I grew up loving. I was 13 when 13: The Musical was on Broadway. So I’m definitely a fan of Jason Robert Brown’s music and have been for a long time. Getting to sing those gritty, contemporary ‘ohs and ahs’ in the ensemble has been really very exciting for me.
Our production features only eight artists, which was not the size of the Broadway cast but it was how Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown originally envisioned the show to be. They wanted it to be an octet. Getting to honor that in the vocal parts is so fun. There are times when all of us are singing on separate vocal lines. It’s a unique challenge as a musician to find those huge chords all together and be singing your own vocal line just by yourself. But it’s a very fun challenge. Our music director, Laura Bergquist, has been incredible in helping us find the musicality all together and to find the swells. It’s just been really cool to get to sing that in that way. We have our wandelprobe today* which I’m really excited to hear the— I believe it’s ten musicians in our pit? They’ve got two artists on us, I think, but I’m so excited to hear how that will sound when we all come together today. It’s such a treat!
I love that you’ve said a couple of times now that it’s ‘such a treat’ because often times when people go to a county or state fair, they go expecting and then receiving a treat, and it very much sounds like audiences are going to receive quite a nice treat with this production of Bridges at Signature. Now, you were talking about being in the room with lots of seasoned artists and just learning from them. What would you say has been your big personal learning lesson?
Julia: It’s been so interesting because the show features massive life events for Francesca in just three days. Erin Davie has such an expansive toolkit. I feel like you never watch her approach a moment the same way twice until she’s found just the right way that it fits in her. Erin was in the first Sondheim show I ever saw. I think I was 14 or maybe 15. I saw her in A Little Night Music. And I have never forgotten her performance in that. It was absolutely unreal to me when I heard that I was going to be in a show with her. I just think she’s one of the most phenomenal actors on the planet. When I heard that I was playing her daughter— it was definitely an “are you kidding!?” moment. She’s just sensational. I think my biggest learning lesson is from watching her. She brings such a spirit of fun to it. She’ll be deep in a beat and then as actors— you forget a piece of blocking or you drop a line— and she just fluidly shakes it off, laughs about it, and then dives right back in. I’ve never seen something quite like it, it’s really inspiring. For younger artists to see the way that you can approach rehearsal with a sense of play no matter how serious the material, is a wonderful learning lesson. Staying curious and alive in the material is something that both Erin and Mark are extremely gifted at. It’s been a huge learning lesson.
I love hearing that. Why do you think people should come out and see The Bridges of Madison County and what are you hoping they will take away from seeing it?
Julia: I think at its core, and I sort of touched on this earlier, but at its core the show is about love. And the show is about different kinds of love. It’s about love that helps us remember how to love again. And Ethan said something to us really early in the rehearsal process. It’s actually in the foreword in the novel The Bridges of Madison County. “Through her love for Robert, Francesca learns to dance again.” And I really hope that audiences come on a date night or bring friends and family and just through this gorgeous love story, maybe feel a little spark ignite in their own love for their romantic partners or for themselves. I think there’s also a lot of learning about self-love. I think there’s so much in this story that can ignite that in our audiences. I’m really excited to see how audiences receive it.
Absolutely! You’re making me really excited to see this show. Now, if you had to sum up your experience with The Bridges of Madison County at Signature Theatre in just one word, what word would you use?
Julia: Oh wow, give me a second. I would say… cherish? I think that’s what I want to say. There’s so much about it that’s been a treasure for me. I think I would go with cherish. Or maybe treasure. I’m torn between those two. Cherish. And Treasure.
The Bridges of Madison County plays August 8th 2023 through September 17th 2023 in the Max Theatre at Signature Theatre— 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, VA. For tickets call the box office at (703) 820-9771 or purchase them online.
*today being August 4th 2023
