The movie: Based on the novel by Robert James Waller, the 1992 film begins with siblings Michael (Victor Slezak) and Carolyn (Annie Corley) visiting their recently deceased mother's farmhouse, where they discover that she had a brief but passionate affair with a photographer. In flashback to 1965, we see unhappy housewife Francesca (Meryl Streep) romanced by Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), who is visiting Madison County to photograph the famous bridges. In the end, Francesca is forced to choose her family over love.

The musical: There's no framing narrative, so we begin in the past. The story plays out much the same way: Francesca (Kelli O'Hara) enjoys a torrid but ill-fated affair with Robert (Steven Pasquale), while her husband Bud (Hunter Foster) and children, Michael (Derek Klena) and Carolyn (Caitlin Kinnunen), are away at the Iowa State Fair. The characters of Francesca and Robert have been aged down a bit, but that aside, the beats are familiar. And the ending, in which Francesca abandons love for family responsibility, is as heartbreaking as ever.

The verdict: The movie is a classic romance, but the musical cuts even deeper thanks to the stunning music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Alas, Bridges will be closing on May 18. Your best hope of seeing it now, if you haven't already, is the planned tour in the fall of 2015.