NEW YORK – Broadway fans were treated to a surprise performance by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell at the end of their new musical, “Bright Star.”

The cast had taken their bows to a standing ovation when part of the set was rotated to reveal Martin and Brickell to thunderous applause at the show’s opening Thursday night at the Cort Theater. After they took their bows, director Walter Bobbie walked onstage and handed Martin a banjo. After Martin strapped it on, he launched into “Sun’s Gonna Shine,” with Brickell and the show’s star, Carmen Cusack, trading verses as the audience clapped along.

Martin and Brickell have recorded two albums together, but “Bright Star” is their first musical. The idea was sparked by the common love they share for musical theater. Martin joked about their tastes at the show’s after-party. “For Edie, it was ‘The Sound of Music,’ and for me it was ‘Music Man’ and ‘West Side Story.’ I have better taste,” he said.