“THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY”: Performances are underway for Princeton Summer Theater’s production of “The Bridges of Madison County.” Directed by Eliyana Abraham, the musical runs through June 28 at Princeton University’s Hamilton Murray Theater. Above, from left: National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid (Cory Garcia Jr.) visits a small Iowa town on assignment, and enters into a love affair with Italian-born housewife Francesca (Allison Silldorff). (Photo by Eliyana Abraham)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Princeton Summer Theater is opening its season with The Bridges of Madison County. The romantic musical portrays an affair between an Italian-born Iowa housewife and a visiting photographer for National Geographic. Depicting this brief relationship invites us to consider the fragility of fleeting moments — and, consequently, the human instinct to try to preserve their memory in a tangible form.

The Bridges of Madison County is adapted from Robert James Waller’s 1992 novel of the same title (which also is the basis of the 1995 film). The musical’s book is by playwright and librettist Marsha Norman. The eclectic but sufficiently unified music (which borrows from folk and opera, along with other influences), and the lyrics are by Jason Robert Brown, whose The Last Five Years was presented by PST last year.

Originally The Bridges of Madison County met with limited success. Following its 2013 premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, it opened on Broadway in February 2014, and closed in May of that year. Nevertheless, Brown won that year’s Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations. Certain songs from the show, particularly “To Build a Home” and “It All Fades Away,” frequently are heard in concerts.

Eliyana Abraham, the former PST artistic director who staged The Last Five Years, returns to direct The Bridges of Madison County. Abraham guides the talented cast through a thoughtful, generally successful production that allows the show’s strongest and most beautiful elements to shine.

The crisp music direction is by Halle Mitchell (assisted by Jenia Marquez). Sound Designer Orion Lopez-Ramirez ably maintains balance between the actors and the orchestra — a quintet featuring Mitchell (keyboard and guitar), Marquez (keyboard), Simone Scott (guitar), Chern Yang (violin), and Radon Belarmino (cello).

Belarmino opens the show with a contemplative cello solo, stating a motif that becomes a theme for the character of Francesca, an Italian war bride. Francesca (played by Alison Silldorff) enters; we see her leave her home in Naples, and travel to her eventual home in Winterset, Iowa, where as of 1965 she has lived for 18 years with her husband and two children.

This sequence of events is covered in “To Build a Home,” a brisk waltz that is well served by Silldorff’s delicate soprano. Abraham infuses the opening number with plenty of stage business — Francesca unpacks as she sings — evoking a hectic journey.

Immediately we get a sense of Francesca’s stable but stultifying home life. Her affable but dispassionate husband, Richard “Bud” Johnson (Zach Lee) is preparing to leave on a trip of his own, along with the couple’s children, Michael (portrayed as entertainingly rebellious by Lana Gaige) and Carolyn (a contrastingly prissy Lucy Grunden). The purpose of the trip is to show Carolyn’s prize steer at a fair.

Tensions that are starting to erupt, particularly between Bud and Michael, are conveyed in “Home Before You Know It,” a quartet that has some nice contrapuntal writing by Brown. Lee nicely captures Bud’s lack of emotional intelligence (pointedly noted by Carolyn) in trying to run his family.

Shortly after Francesca’s family leaves, Robert Kincaid (Cory Garcia Jr.) pulls into their driveway to ask for directions. He is a photographer for National Geographic; the title of the show (and novel) is derived from his assignment, which is to photograph Madison County’s covered bridges. He has had trouble finding the final bridge, so Francesca guides him.

Just as Francesca sings about being anchored in “To Build a Home,” Robert sings about being “Temporarily Lost.” Despite some lovely melodic phrases, there is some awkward word-setting that yields odd accents (particularly for the line “I’ve been looking for something”). Nevertheless, the song benefits from Garcia’s sturdy, rich baritone.

A more satisfying number for Robert is “The World Inside a Frame,” whose lyrics nicely encapsulate a central theme of the show: “It’s like all you didn’t know that you were waiting for is just outside the frame, and it can change the way you see.”

On Robert’s first night, it (helpfully) is too late for Robert to eat dinner at a restaurant in town, so Francesca cooks him a meal from a recipe she has brought with her from Italy. She is excited to discover that Robert recently has visited Naples, where she has never returned since leaving 18 years ago. A love affair quickly but naturally develops between them.

Silldorff and Garcia sing exquisitely together in their duet “Before and After You/One Second and a Million Miles.” Garcia’s impassioned rendition makes Robert’s signature ballad “It All Fades Away” the showstopper it needs to be; movingly, Robert contemplatively stares at Francesca’s photo as he sings that number’s wordless vocalise. Silldorff’s sensitive phrasing benefits the introspective “Always Better,” in which Francesca contemplates her circumstances and choices.

Robert’s presence soon is observed by the family’s neighbors, an inquisitive but kindly older couple named Marge (Lucy Shea) and Charlie (Ja’quan Spann). It becomes clear that Marge knows about the affair, and upon the family’s return late in act two, she becomes directly involved.

While the romance between Francesca and Robert obviously is the primary focus, it is to the show’s credit that we do not forget about Francesca’s family. Their time at the fair is encapsulated in a rousing country-flavored ensemble number, “State Road 21.” (The ensemble is comprised of Shea, Spann, and Emmie Collins.) Bud is given the driving “Something From a Dream,” movingly delivered by Lee, in which to express his feelings for Francesca.

There are aspects of the show (and perhaps of the original story) that could be stronger. It is a rather convenient coincidence that the day Francesca’s family departs, there arrives a man who happens to have photos of her old home. Additionally, there is little suspense; until late in the second act, one never has the sense that Francesca and Robert will be discovered — so the stakes are not particularly high.

Audiences whose familiarity with the story derives from the film may also feel that Francesca seems a bit young to have the life experience that “To Build a Home” tells us her character has attained. This partly may be due to the fact that the actor (Silldorff) recently graduated from Princeton; however, the music — for all its beauty — could do more to distinguish Francesca’s generation from Michael and Carolyn’s.

However, the alchemy in the combination of the book, score, and performances is that these individual quibbles matter little. As corny as this may sound, fundamentally what matters is that Robert and Francesca meet, discover their common connection to Naples, and fall in love. We may not entirely approve of the moral aspect of Francesca’s choices (the show does not pass judgement), but the love between her and Robert comes from a genuine and deep enough place — and has a sufficiently transformative and positive effect on Francesca’s character — that we tend to forgive that.

Abraham could pay greater attention to certain production aspects, particularly the timing of prop placement for scene changes. In more than once scene, the audience’s view of the actors is blocked by furniture that is not yet in use.

That said, the direction includes some appealing tableaux and effective use of vertical levels. Frequently Francesca and Robert are toward the front of the stage; characters who have influenced their pasts — Francesca’s family, and Robert’s ex-wife Marian (Sidney Humes-James, who brings a pleasing mezzo-soprano and smooth phrasing to “Another Life”) — are further back, elevated.

Carolina Kertesz’s set makes effective use of the space. It is evocative enough to capture a perceived essence of rural small-town America, but economical enough to enhance, rather than overwhelm, the performances. Kat McLaughlin’s lighting aids in creating some attractive stage pictures.

Costume Designer Susan McLernon evokes the period while using color to define character. Although they are a mixture of light and dark, the majority of the tasteful outfits are conspicuously subdued. It is not until Robert arrives that a character — Francesca – wears vibrant red. It adds a nice layer that, in early scenes between the two, Robert an orange shirt while Francesca wears a white one. Later, Francesca wears the red dress while Robert’s shirt is white, underlining how intertwined the two characters have become.

“Love is always better.” Ultimately, the success of the production elements is marked by the extent to which they allow the consistently talented performances to flourish. The Bridges of Madison County is at its best when audiences can savor the beauty of its themes and musical numbers. Princeton Summer Theater’s production makes that possible.

“The Bridges of Madison County” will play at the Hamilton Murray Theater in Murray Dodge Hall, Princeton University, through June 28. For tickets, show times, and further information visit princetonsummertheater.org.