Strong orchestrations and individual performances help this clunky adaption that struggles to be understood
Even if you don’t know musicals, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Brigadoon. The musical’s original Broadway production in 1947 ran for 581 performances and was adapted twice for the screen — first in the 1954 film with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse and again in 1966 through an Emmy award-winning television series starring Robert Goulet and Peter Falk. Loveland Opera Theatre’s current production staging is a bit clunky and the actors’ Scottish accents make it difficult to understand, but its lovely orchestrations and splendid individual performances make the most of this traditional staging.
The musical follows two American tourists, Tommy Albright (Nathan Snyder) and Jeff Douglas (Solomon Abell), as they stumble upon a mysterious Scottish village called Brigadoon that appears only once every 100 years. On the day of their arrival, town-favorite Charlie Dalrymple (Seth Riley) is set to get married to Jean MacLaren (Anna Piper), the youngest daughter of Andrew MacLaren (Ed Bickle). Most of the town eagerly prepares for the joyous occasion, but her former suitor, Harry Beaton (Zach Walz), holds a grudge against them and seeks to do everything in his power to prevent their union. Tommy falls in love with Jean’s older sister, Fiona (Bella Mallow), and she attempts to convince him to stay with her in the town of Brigadoon forever. Tommy and Jeff both have their doubts but will be forced to choose where to put their faith: in what they know or what they feel.
As you walk into the Rialto Theatre, audiences are treated to the magnificent sounds of the 15-piece band warming up. Artistic Director Dr. Juliana Bishop Hoch and Brigadoon director Timothy Kennedy came out at the top of the musical, did some silly Scottish accents, and welcomed the audience to Brigadoon. The pair thanked their community partners who had just helped fund 10 years of the opera’s educational outreach programs and announced that, after 17 years, they would be announcing their first full season in 2023.
After their speech, the overture began and is incredibly well-performed. They even have a light so the conductor’s shadow can be seen on the wall. It’s a joy to hear such a rich, full orchestra live in person. Synchronizing the sounds of 15 individual musicians is a difficult musical and logistical challenge; so, thank you, Loveland Opera Theatre, for taking the time to support large live bands in the theatre.
As a first-timer to Brigadoon, this wasn’t the most accessible production due to audio and diction issues throughout the production. The actors have incredible singing voices; I just wish I could understand more of what they were saying. Due to a combination of Scottish accents, a slightly overbearing band sound, and diction problems from trying to balance so many voices over the microphone system, many of the show’s lyrics are lost.
Make sure to pee before sitting down because the first act is a little over two hours; this runtime was bolstered by slow pacing, low energy in dialogue scenes, and long scene transitions. The second act had much better pacing, strong execution of the dramatic moments, and smoother transitions. The production doesn’t reinvent the wheel or address some of the 1940s sexism within the book, but the actors’ earnest portrayals help keep the musical moving along.
Snyder and Mallow lead the cast as Tommy and Fiona, and both have lovely singing voices. Their duets, “The Heather on the Hill,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” and “From This Day On” feature impressive vibrato and dynamics. However, these vocal techniques frequently interfere with the clarity of the lyrics. Though I was in awe of their voices, I eventually gave up on trying to understand what they were saying. Both of their performances are highly melodramatic and work well together, but they feel somewhat disconnected from the rest of the cast.
Abell delivers a sensational supporting performance as the dry, logic-orientated Jeff. His facial reactions to the highly illogical world of Brigadoon were hilarious, and Abell had strong chemistry with the entire cast. He handles his character’s shift from a slightly glum jokester to a remorseful, introspective drunk wonderfully. Abell and Morris are fierce scene partners. Abell nails the straight man and allows Morris’ scene-stealing performance as Meg Brockie to shine. The blocking and comedic timing during their scene in the barn and “The Love of My Life” were a high point of the first act.
Zach Walz makes a strong impression as the perpetually melancholy Harry. Walz’s well-timed grimaces endear you to his character even when he behaves erratically. Seth Riley has a fantastic singing voice as Charlie; his voice during “Come to Me, Bend to Me” was transfixing. Riley and Piper have a strong stage presence and are a believable couple. Rachael Lessard’s choreography was at its best when the actors were jigging to the orchestra’s bright Scottish melodies, such as “The Sword Dance and Reel” and “My Mother’s Weddin Day,” but the ballet-inspired moments were messy and included dancers with sickled feet.
This is a massive cast, and the Rialto is not a huge space. The set, constructed by Josh Porter, features slick arches and adds additional set pieces to the sides to create the illusion of a wall, church, or house with well-constructed fragments of these locations. Though the set features steps around the arch, the staging seldom utilizes this dimension and space to spread out the ensemble. Kennedy’s blocking directs the ensemble in slight variations of the same clumps and semi-circle formations on the flat stage.
It is impressive to have so many people involved in theatre. I just wish I could see more of the faces and bodies of all the community members within the Brigadoon community. This could have been adjusted by having the cast spread out across all levels of the stage so that actors are not constantly upstaging themselves and every performer can be seen. Kennedy’s staging works best during smaller scenes. In particular, Kennedy and the actors do a nice job with the blocking each time the entrance to Brigadoon is magically revealed.
The show’s long runtime and clarity issues throughout make it tough to recommend to anyone who isn’t a hardcore fan; though, the program’s detailed plot summary did help fill in the parts of the story I couldn’t comprehend. However, if you are a fan of Brigadoon – like many of the older patrons in the crowd who were cheerfully humming along to the song’s melodies – this well-produced rendition is sure to leave you smiling and tapping your toes to the company’s smooth sound.
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