PicksInSix Review: Brigadoon - Music Theater Works
Movement and Music Channel the Myth.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder
A lush lullaby of music lured the audience into the North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie for the opening of the Music Theater Works production of the Lerner and Loewe classic “Brigadoon.” An ethereal pastoral landscape, swirling with misty enchantment, set the tone for the story of wonder, witchcraft and love ahead.
The legendary story of Brigadoon follows two wandering New Yorkers, Tommy and Jeff, traveling across the Scottish Highlands. After losing their way, their curiosities are piqued by the entrancing sounds coming from the vague image of a village tucked within the haze of the hills and absent from their map. What the two men find beyond the melodious voices is the secret village of Brigadoon, whose magical fate is to only appear every hundred years, defying time and space. Stumbling into Brigadoon, Tommy and Jeff not only discover an astonishing living time capsule of community, but they are also faced with deciding whether the lives they’ve left behind are worth trading for the magic they’ve found.
The cast of “Brigadoon” delivers a pleasantly proper portrayal of the tradition that is American Musical Theater. Leading man Conor Jordan brings a tenacious tenor to Tommy Albright, not just in his brash voice but with his heroic physique and protagonistic drive. Adding finesse and flare to the leading couple is ingénue Fiona MacLaren, played by Sarah Obert with a vocal beauty that could enchant all of Scotland to make their way directly to their hidden village. The leading couple shares a romantic fire that’s lit not with a conventionally saccharine enthusiasm but with a sincere investment of newfound potential. It’s the sarcastic Jeff Douglas of Zachary Linnert and whimsical wit of Timothy Wolf’s Mr. Lundie that ground the story in levels of their respective realisms. Linnert brings a keen honesty to Jeff’s text and predicaments, concisely hitting notes of humor and revelation with ease. And Wolf’s Lundie is lovably expounding throughout, despite the rants and rhymes of could-be lunacy.
Much like the mythical village of Brigadoon, Lerner and Loewe’s melodic Great American Songbook contributions have also stood the test of time with such beloved standards as “There But For You Go I" and “Heather on the Hill” to the catchy “Almost like Being in Love” and “Come to Me, Bend to Me.” Although the book of “Brigadoon” can be plodding and predictable at times, what director Sasha Gerritson does to help lead this production, beyond harmoniously staging across a myriad of times and places on one nearly static set, is to fully engage the ensemble. It’s obvious that Gerritson took the time to instill backstory and intent for each character, so the considerable ensemble isn’t just living wallpaper, they are alive in each moment.
What truly enhances the storytelling most is assistant director Clayton Cross’s choreography. As is the case with most musicals, when words fail the characters, they burst into song; however, Clayton’s choreography, ranging from fun and fanciful traditional Scottish dance to elegantly executed ballet, fiercely embodies the emotional mood of the musical numbers. Even when there are text breaks, and there is only music, the story continues to be told through Cross’s movement. Perfectly partnered with the choreography is the period costuming by Jazmin Aurora Medina, utilizing warm tartan prints and playful floral patterns to create a tone of history, tradition and mirth. And Ann Davis’s set design so rustically recreates the bewitching landscape of the Scottish Highlands, complete with a multi-level cobblestone bridge, that any wandering traveler would be hard pressed to refuse giving in to the enchantment of Brigadoon.
Solid serenading and energetic choreography guide us down the winding path to the otherworldly village of Brigadoon, whisking an audience away from the cares of everyday life and into an alternate reality. If you’re looking to escape into the spellbinding delights of the foundational canon of musical theater, then follow the sounds of the musical moors to Music Theater Works production of “Brigadoon.”
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com
PHOTO|Brett Beiner
MUSIC THEATER WORKS
presents
Lerner and Loewe’s
BRIGADOON
through November 12
North Shore Center for Performing Arts
9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
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