'Sun's Gonna Shine' Video Premiere

"Bright Star" cast unveils video as message of hope

By John Moore

The lyrics reverberated down Wadsworth Boulevard last fall when the Arvada Center staged the sentimental bluegrass musical “Bright Star” as part of its Main Stage theatrical season:

Something tells me it'll be all right.
Something tells me it's gonna be OK.
The sun is gonna shine again.
The sun is gonna shine again.

The underdog musical wound its way around audience’s hearts then – and its echoes are rising back up today as an anthem of hope while the coronavirus pandemic continues to rob the world of lives and optimism.

On Friday, the Arvada Center sent those bright lyrics back out into the virtual universe as a video of the cast singing “Sun’s Gonna Shine” to encourage anyone struggling through this extended period of isolation. (Look back at the watch party on the Arvada Center’s Facebook page.)

“I think it will hit home with a lot of people,” said Rod Lansberry, the Arvada Center’s Producing Artistic Director of Musical Theatre. “It’s just what we all needed.”

The video, edited by Arvada Center Production Artist Pierce Murphy, was compiled from segments separately recorded by 12 “Bright Star” cast members from their homes.

“Bright Star,” written by comedian Steve Martin with pop-music star Edie Brickell, is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1940s, with flashbacks to 1923. It recounts the true story of William Moses Gould Helms, who was left to die by his grandfather at just five days old but miraculously survived a near-fatal, 50-foot toss from a Missouri bridge. The epic tale follows mother and son over two decades toward their uplifting reunion, making for a theatrical journey that was as refreshingly genuine as it was daringly hopeful.

Which makes “Sun’s Gonna Shine” just the right song now, seven months later, when theatres throughout the country are now shut down and audiences are confined to their homes.

“Solitude is a slow burn,” said actor Merideth Kaye Clark, who played Alice Murphy and is the lead vocalist on “Sun’s Gonna Shine.” “At first, the quiet is peaceful, and longtime procrastinated goals have a chance to emerge. Then we may get aimless and restless.” Then the most painful part sets in. “We start missing hugs,” she said.

Handshakes may soon become a thing of the past, but if Clark has her way, we are about to enter the Golden Age of “The Hug.”

"My arms would be big enough to stretch around the whole world.” – Merideth Kaye Clark

“I want to start by hugging everyone I shared the stage with in ‘Bright Star,’” she said. “Then I'd visit each of my friends at the Arvada Center who made this video possible. Then, like a greeting party, I would go down the line and give a big hug to every staff member, patron and audience member at the Arvada Center – and any friend I made during my time in Arvada. Then I might go down the street to Steuben's and hug the person who makes the reuben sandwiches there. Then I might go to the local library and give each and every one there a big squeeze, too. And the folks who make the parks there so beautiful. And the folks at the Butterfly Pavilion. And the zookeepers at the Denver Zoo. And all my friends at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. ‘The Hug Circle’ would expand from there, and my arms would be big enough to stretch around the whole world.

“I would squeeze them all, eyes closed, and sing, ‘The sun IS gonna shine again’ to every one of them!"

All of this potential hugging can be traced back to an idea first had by Arvada Center Director of Communications Marcus Turner. He hosts the Arvada Center’s “Living Room Talkback Series” – virtual talkbacks that allow audiences to watch interviews from their homes with members of the Arvada Center’s now shuttered series of Black Box plays such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“As we were doing that video series, I realized that our musical theatre audiences might be feeling left out, and we wanted to give them something special, too,” said Turner, who brought the idea to Lansberry to reunite the “Bright Star” cast to sing “Sun’s Gonna Shine.” The song had never really left Turner’s head, in part because last September, the cast performed a virtual version of the song and raised $600 for Red Cross Disaster Relief in North Carolina.

Lansberry thought it was a perfect match of material and moment. “The way that number expresses all the adversity and trials that Alice went through, and yet she still comes around to the idea that it will get better – that’s what makes it such a perfect number,” Lansberry said. “She doesn’t start happy but she gets to a place of positivity – and I think that’s what we’re all hoping to find right now.”

Lansberry took the idea to the 12 cast members who sang in the “Sun’s Gonna Shine” number during the actual production, and they all agreed to participate: Clark, Nolan Baker, Abby Apple Boes, Joe Callahan, Zayaz Da Camara, Seth Dhonau, Leiney Rigg, Benjamin Roeling, Michelle Sergeeff, Lauren Shealy, Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck, and Seles VanHuss.

Pierce, also a jazz musician and an audio engineer, offered the singers tips on best recording practices. He also handled all of the intricate post-production details.

Here’s what some of the cast members had to say about the opportunity to virtually reunite for the recording:

  • "It is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel during these dark and confusing times. Stay focused on the light and the sun will shine on us even brighter than before.” Abby Apple Boes
  • “A simple truth that too often slips our minds: Things will get better.” Joe Callahan  
  • “Although many are battling anxiety from extreme uncertainty, hold tight to trust and faith that there is, eventually, an end to this. Alone together we are resilient. Find how the sun is shining for you each and every day.” Nolan Baker
  • “I suffer from terrible anxiety, and after stage productions started being canceled by the virus, ‘Son’s Gonna Shine’ became both my mantra and my motto during a very frightening time. The song really does convey the way I was feeling all the while telling myself that everything was going to be OK – just the way Mama Murphy tells Alice.” Zayaz Da Camara
  • “We go through ups and downs in life. Sometimes it gets really dark, but when the light comes back, it seems the brightest after darkness. The sun will shine again, and we all will be together again.” Michelle Sergeeff

Arvada Center cast list:

  • Dieter Bierbrauer
  • Abby Apple Boes
  • Larry Cahn
  • Joe Callahan
  • Merideth Kaye Clark
  • Zayaz Da Camara
  • Seth Dhonau
  • Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck
  • Steph Holmbo
  • Jacob Mendes
  • Elliot Peterson
  • Leiney Rigg
  • Jeffrey Roark
  • Mark Rubald
  • Michelle Sergeeff
  • Lauren Shealy
  • Rebecca Spence
  • Seles VanHuss

Creative team:

  • Director: Rod A. Lansberry
  • Music Director: Eric Alsford
  • Choreographer: Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck
  • Scenic Design: Brian Mallgrave
  • Lighting Design: Shannon McKinney
  • Sound Design: David Thomas
  • Costume Design: Clare Henkel
  • Wig and Makeup Design: Diana Ben-Kiki
  • Stage Manager: Kristin Sutter
  • Assistant Stage Manager: Tiffany Lutz
  • Casting by Wojcik | Seay

“Sun’s Gonna Shine” lyrics

Written by Edie Brickell

Lonely broken feeling.
Lonely to my soul.
You got the look.
You got the feel.
You got the face of true love.
You got the charm.
You got appeal.
I got to let you go.

So long sweet embraces.
So long summertime.
You got the power.
You got the faith.
You got the El Camino.
You got the night.
You got the day.
I got the ole dark cloud.

The sun is gonna shine again.
The sun is gonna shine again.

Long time.
I've been waiting a long time.
Long enough.
You got the song.
You got the dance.
You got the inspiration.
You got it all (in the) palm of your hand.
I got the rolling wheel.

 The sun is gonna shine again.
The sun is gonna shine again.

Something tells me it'll be all right.
Something tells me it's gonna be OK.

The sun is gonna shine again.
The sun is gonna shine again.

Home,Reignite the Arts,Art at Home,Support Arvada Center Artists,Virtual Auction,Donate Now,Donate Now,Corporate Giving,Art Circle,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Renew,Visit Us,View All Events,Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,Roland Bernier: In Other Words,Word Play,Animal Farm,Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents Summer Suite,Big Band Royalty,Lola Montejo: After Another After,Floyd D. Tunson: Ascent,Anthony Garcia Sr: Pigment,A Tribute to the Boston Pops,The CJRO presents A Night of Sizzling Soul with Larry Braggs,Pink Martini featuring China Forbes,Carlou D,Pamela Webb: Hand + Hammer,Lauri Lynnxe Murphy: Seeing the Trees For the Forest,Pink Progression: Collaborations,Imprint: Print Educators of Colorado,528.0 Regional Juried Printmaking Exhibition,Wood.Works,Carley Warren: Three Pieces,Viral Influence: Art in the Time of Coronavirus,Brady Smith: (Don’t be embarrassed by) Your Trouble with Living,Melody Epperson: 100 Years + 1,Blurring The Line,Dawes,Melissa Etheridge,Narkita Gold: Black In Denver,Australian Pink Floyd,José González,Art of the State 2022,Into The Woods,Rockley Instrument Sale,Elle King,Madeleine Peyroux In Concert,One Sheet,The River Bride,Fine Art Market,Holiday Pottery Sale,The History of African American Music Part 3,Hazel Miller and the Collective: Christmas with Soul,Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,Colorado Abstract +10: A Survey,Gary Staab: Second Nature,Flora: Scientific Botanical Illustrations of Colorado Plants,Charlotte's Web,Art + Science,Jeffco Schools Foundation High School Art Exhibition,Arts For All Gala,Wendy Kowynia: Following the Thread,Spring Pottery Sale,Teacher Appreciation Concert,A Year With Frog and Toad,Damn Yankees,Bueno: Mark Bueno,Mary Poppins,A Tribute to Chick Corea with Eric Gunnison,Big Band Royalty: Nothin’ But the Blues,Latin Sounds From Legendary Artists,Swing, Swing, Swing: Benny and Beyond ,Denver Gay Men's Chorus: Divas, Icons and Justice Warriors,Keb' Mo',Ben Folds,Lucero,Face Vocal Band,George Thorogood and the Destroyers,Toad the Wet Sprocket and Cracker,A Night at the Movies with the Colorado Symphony,The Denver Brass: In Pursuit of Leisure,Our Town,The Book Club Play,Boz Scaggs,The Ladies of Soul,Guitar Stars and Friends,Rocky Mountain Guitar Stars,Mozart Under Moonlight,Big Draw Colorado,Beautiful - The Carole King Musical,Drawn: From The Source,Collective Soul,Ramón Bonilla: The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me.,Indigo Girls,Dining Partners,Amplify,Amplify Performers,Theatre,Upcoming Shows,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Performances for Students,Auditions,Million Dollar Quartet Auditions,The Laramie Project Open Auditions,Cinderella Local General Auditions,Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Local Auditions,Holiday Plays,Galleries,Current Exhibitions,Wood.Works Know Before You Go,Gallery Events,Upcoming Exhibitions,Art Sales,Art Submissions,Viral Influence Call for Entry,Big Draw Colorado,Sculpture Field,History Museum,Archive,Education,View All Classes,Summer Camps,Full Day,Summer Camp Performances,FAQ,Classes for Kids,Classes for Adults,Ceramics,Front Range Youth Symphony,Dance Academy,Arts Day,Arts Day Outreach,Ageless Adults,Scholarships,Yesterado,Teen Intensive 2021,Yesterado,Field Trips and Outreach,ECE Field Trips,K-5 Field Trips,Middle and High School Field Trips,Outreach Programs,Preschool Partnership Program,Music and Dance,Jeffrey Siegel,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra,Summer Concerts,AEDA Summer Concerts,Humanities,On Their Shoulders We Stand,Private Event Rentals,Caterers,Vendors,Straight Talk Series ,Straight Talk with Philip Sneed,COVID’s toll on Colorado theatre: 224 productions and counting ,Straight Talk with Lynne Collins,Straight Talk with Rod Lansberry,Straight Talk with Phamaly, Buntport, Colorado Shakes and Rocky Mountain Rep,Straight Talk with Creede Rep, Town Hall, Candlelight and Theatre Company of Lafayette,Straight Talk with Aurora Fox, BDT Stage, Cherry Creek Theatre and Misfits,Straight Talk with Su Teatro, Vintage, Backstage and Counterweight,Straight Talk with Local Theater Company, Theater 29, The Source and Equinox,Straight Talk with the Denver Center, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Glenwood Vaudeville Revue and Germinal Stage-Denver,Actors' union issues safety guidelines for re-opening,Straight Talk with square product, Forge Light, Springs Ensemble Theatre and Coal Creek Theatre of Louisville,Straight Talk with the Fine Arts Center, Miners Alley Playhouse, Dangerous Theatre and Lone Tree Arts Center ,Straight Talk with Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company and Northglenn Arts,Straight Talk with The Catamounts, Bas Bleu and Thingamajig,Straight Talk with Curious Theatre Company,Straight Talk with OpenStage, Firehouse and Adams Mystery Playhouse,Straight Talk with Platte Valley Players and Theatreworks,Straight Talk with Parker Arts, Stories on Stage and Thunder River ,Staight Talk 2 with Philip Sneed: This much is uncertain,Pivoting With,Pivoting with The Black Actors Guild,Pivoting with ... Emily Van Fleet and Nathan Jones,Pivoting With ... Tammy Franklin and the Curtain Playhouse,Pivoting With Nick Sugar and the Town Hall Arts Center,Pivoting With Helen Murray and the Aurora Fox,Pivoting with Edith Weiss and Christy Montour Larson,Pivoting With Scott RC Levy and the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company,Pivoting with Todd Debrecini for Halloween,Pivoting with Ashley Campbell,Pivoting with Meghan Anderson Doyle,Pivoting with Jenna Moll Reyes,Pivoting with Erik Fellenstein,Pivoting with Ray Bailey ,Pivoting with Tara Falk,Community News,Inside the Arvada Center,Director's Notes: A Midsummer Night's Dream,All About Printmaking Techniques,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Collin Parson ,Arvada Center Makes Masks,Christina Noel-Adcock,"Bright Star" cast unveils video as message of hope,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Christine Moore,Humans of the Arvada Center: Steven Cogswell,Humans of the Arvada Center: Ashi K. Smythe,City of Arvada to install new sculpture in Hoskinson Park,Humans of the Arvada Center Jessie Page,Here are the 2019-20 Henry Award nominations,Arvada Center to Offer Students World’s First Zoom Musical,Humans of the Arvada Center Cal Meakins,Humans of the Arvada Center: Adam Stolte,Supreme Court workplace ruling hits home for Lisa Leafgreen,'Time for talk is over': Arvada Center launch 'Amplify' series to raise black male voices,Humans of the Arvada Center Jon Olson ,New Arvada Center, Aurora Fox seasons reflect current complexities,It's virtually impossible not to have fun in our summer camps,News roundup: Who The Denver Actor's Fund DEAR Fund has helped,Humans of the Arvada Center: Abygail Rosales,Pink Progression Collaborations: Jina Brenneman and Margaret Kasahara,Pink Progression: Julia Rymer and Drew Austin,Revealing The Dialogue,Amplify Epiode 3 launches, series expanding to include black women,Photo Blog: Sweeney Todd Rehearsals,Humans of the Arvada Center: Gabriel Morales,Pink Progression: Sangeeta Reddy and Jodie Roth Cooper,Front Porch Series Kickoff,Cleo Parker Robinson dances back in the box with Arvada Center,Amplify turns the mic over to local Black women ,Beth Malone bringing 'joy bomb' to Arvada Center oon September 4,Theatre news: Live streaming panel Monday on a big new 'Idea',Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Emily King,Amplify Women Episode 2,Special Book Honors Special Dance Teacher,Arvada Center pivots to radio-play series for fall ,amplify-series-comes-to-powerful-conclusion,How COVID is impacting individual artists,Take a stroll through 'Sculpture in the Field',Arts In Education Week,Colorado Theatre News: Miscast pivots to CAST ,Essay: Was the Aurora Fox a safe house on Opening Night? ,Lessons from a summer of outdoor theatre in the time of COVID ,Humans of the Arvada Center: John Hamilton,Theatre news of the week: DCPA launches Recovery Fund,Zachary Andrews take a one-man bite out of 'Dracula',Spotlight Manos Soap,Doreen Montalvo in Denver: Compassion and grit,What to do: Theatre happenings for October 23,Betty Hart's presidential promise: Build a bigger tent,Theatre happenings October 30,Virtual theatre sprouts a new branch with Arvada Center's 'The Family Tree',Humans of the Arvada Center: Brenna Clendaniel and Sophia Koop,Theatre happenings November 12,the barnstormers are back,On being Black in Denver and all the colors that it brings,Getting to Know: Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales,Theatre happenings November 19: Companies entering cancellation mode,2021 in live theatre: A look into the Crystal Ball,2020 True West Awards: Buntpivot ,2020 True West Awards: Lily Bradford,2020 True West Awards: The Scenesters,2020 True West Awards: Podcastic,2020 True West Awards: Phamaly takes 'Honk' to Japan,2020 True West Awards: Christine Moore,2020 True West Awards: Alive Inside,2020 True West Awards: Michael Ensminger,True West Awards: They Wrote the Book,True West Awards: Rent-A-Pals,True West Awards: Of Spacious Skies,True West Awards: Christopher Page-Sanders,2020 True West Awards: Suffer the little children,2020 True West Awards: Spirit of Giving,2020 True West Awards: Secret Gardeners,2020 True West Awards: Denis Berkfeldt,2020 True West Awards: Amplify,2020 True West Awards: Reclaiming One Star,2020 True West Awards: William Hahn and Jessica Robblee,2020 True West Awards: Lisa Wagner Erickson,'The Family Tree affords actors rare chance to work during pandemic,SCFD: New picture of COVID carnage on metro nonprofits,New Arvada Center video offers diverse slate of holiday stories,20 for 20,Meet the Frasers,Bev Newcomb-Madden: Colorado's feisty, ferocious fairy godmother passes away ,Lucy Roucis' final act is a gutpunch,Reunite the Arts Collin Parson,Jodie Steeves and Nancy Terry,Reunite the Arts Lisa Leafgreen,Remembering John Gratkins,Reunite the Arts: From our CEO,Adapting the Great Gatsby,Small Mouth Sounds returns,Danielle Johnson Q&A,Reunite the Arts Lynne Collins,The Show Must Go On,Diana and Mike Kinsey,Get to Know Kazu Oba,Meet Suzanna Champion,The Gear of Million Dollar Quartet,FRYS and the Symphony,Get to Know Carlou D,Stories From the Studio,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Lares Feliciano,21 for 21,An interview with Geoffrey Kent: The Liar,Art of the State 2022 Awards,An interview with Jada Suzanne Dixon: Stick Fly,An interview with Jessica Robblee: Animal Farm,Fast Facts About Kinky Boots,Costume Department Boots Up,Rod A Lansberry Announces Retirement from Arvada Center,Lynne Collins Named Artistic Director of Arvada Center Theatre,Getting to Know José González,2022 Henry Award Nominations,Getting to Know Joan Osborne and Madeleine Peyroux,Sit Under the Stars at the Front Porch Series ,The Many Sounds of Carlou D,The Tunes of the Daniella Katzir Band,Setting the mood: Into the Woods Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Into the Woods Directors Note,The River Bride Director's Note,What is Magical Realism?,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Ana María Hernando,The CJRO Sessions featuring Robert Johnson,Meet Ceramics Artist Luanne Burke,From student to teacher: Hadley’s story,Tackling the Beast,Be Like Belle on Colorado Gives Day,Things to Know About Our Town,Creating the Look of Our Town: A Q and A with Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Whatever Lola Wants - A Deep Dive into the Damn Yankees Signature Song,Selling Your Soul - A Pop Culture Favorite,The Book Club Play Reads,Metatheatre Elements in Our Town - When a Play Knows It's a Play,90s Throwback Vibe with Arvada Center 2023 Summer Concert Series,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra at the Arvada Center,Arts Advocacy,Volunteer,About Us,Ticketing Policies,Group Tickets,Ticket Discounts,Contact Us,Accessibility,Health and Safety,Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access,Careers,Know Before You Go,Tours,Adopt an Actor 2023,Adopt An Artwork,Temp,Virtual Theatre FAQ,New Website ,Pink Progression Events,On Demand Troubleshooting,Blog,Lorem ipsum,Lorem ipsum 2,Newk’s,Steuben’s Arvada,The Family Tree FAQ,Home for the Holidays,Land Acknowledgement,What To Expect at the Theatre,One Sheet Music,Gift Certificates,Gala,Gala Sponsors,Errors,404,The Family Tree Dining Offers,Privacy Policy,Our Town Synopsis,Concessions