It might sound like "Bridges of Madison County" ... mixed with a touch of "Love Letters" ... only involving a soap star.

But, truly, it's a concoction that's entirely its own.

"Philco Blues" - a musical by Jan Warner and Kathe Green - is based on a true story. It's about a lonely housewife named Lara living out the edges of a place called Wahoo, Nebraska. She's feeling down about her loveless marriage, so she unburdens herself in letters she writes to a soap-opera actor.

It's not just her wedded non-bliss that's weighing on Lara. It's also her fear that she will fall into insanity as her late mother did. Indeed, she's feeling haunted by her mother.

"Philco Blues," which opens Wednesday at the Spirit of Broadway Theater, is described by the theater as being about "identity, living with failure and the courage it takes to discover ourselves."

- KRISTINA DORSEY

"Philco Blues," Spirit of Broadway, 24 Chestnut St., Norwich; opens Wednesday and runs through June 9; 7 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; $32; (860) 887-2378.