A magical revival of the 1947 musical about a disappearing Scottish town by the celebrated American Jewish team Lerner and Loewe
After an announcement in Gaelic, a procession of drummers and pipers marches on to applause and the excitement in the air palpable. A 12-strong band, conducted by Laura Bangay on keys, plays beneath a bank of purple heather, evoking a wonderfully idiosyncratic blend of the patriotic song 'Scots Wha Hae' with showbiz glam. Then a gentle shower of rain begins to fall, only adding to the authenticity of the Highland glades designed by Basia Bińkowska in what is set to be a magical revival of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical.
Lerner’s plot of Brigadoon has been carefully – and cleverly – edited by celebrated Scots playwright Rona Munro to make it both topical to the time of its writing (1947) and timeless. The action takes place when the USA had entered World War II, and so the two game hunters lost in the Highlands in Lerner’s original storyline are reimagined as American airmen Tommy (Louis Gaunt) and Jeff (Cavan Clarke), who find themselves in the Highlands after their bomber crash-lands.
Fortunately, they’re not alone for long. A crowd of locals soon surrounds them: the men in kilts of earthy and golden tones, the women in matching skirts (costumes Sami Fendall). Their exuberant dance moves are infectious, drawing in the two airmen. Before it all begins to feel a bit too saccharine, our protagonists add sex, secrecy and rivalry to the recipe.
It soon transpires that love is in the air, in the open and in secret. A local wedding is imminent between Charlie (Gilli Jones) and Jean (Jasmine Jules Andrews). Tommy and Jeff are offered hospitality with the bride’s family, the MacLarens, but the latter is offered rather more by dairymaid Meg (Nic Myers). Tommy, meanwhile, looks set to score with the bride’s older sister Fiona (Danielle Fiamanya). Song and dance (choreography by director Drew McOnie and Ebony Molina) blossoms all over the stage, cueing up one of the show’s best loved numbers, ‘It’s Almost Like Being in Love’, Tommy’s ecstatic paean to his feelings for Fiona. McOnie is innovative, while faithful to the original dances created by Agnes de Mille.
Munro’s book is a triumph. Given her track record of gripping dramas deeply rooted in Scottish history (including the The James Plays and Mary, which chart the stories of these Scots monarchs in Tudor times), it’s unsurprising that she evokes the countryside of her homeland equally vividly here. Central to the plot is the mythology of Brigadoon, a village that appears for just one day every 100 years – but how and why?
The principals, the airmen, their new loves and their families are all excellent. The chorus – the corps de ballet of triple threats (they sing, they dance, they act) are simply breathtaking, their energy, joie de vivre and combination of individual and ensemble work are truly exhilarating.
The narrative gives space for the elegance of the traditional sword dance and exhilarating reels, with the revelation at its climax that Brigadoon disappears because 200 years ago the local minister prayed to God and asked for this in order to protect his people from being changed by the outside world, delivered with great gusto by Anne Lacey’s Lundie. It’s a delicious concoction of fantasy, fun flirtation and religion all held together by the music, dance and sheer energy of the company on and offstage in the glorious bosky setting of Regent’s Park.
By Judi Herman
Photos by Mark Senior
Brigadoon runs until Saturday 20 September. 7.45pm, 2.15pm (Thu & Sat only). From £19. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, NW1 4NU. openairtheatre.com