Fri 7/24-Sun 8/9
Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe are one of the legendary creative teams of Broadway’s classic mid-20th century era. They were responsible for two of the biggest blockbusters of that era: My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960). Their scores are packed with tunes familiar to anyone who has even a marginal interest in classic Broadway.
But their first really big hit opened on Broadway in 1947. Brigadoon is slightly less well known, although many will recognize tunes such as “Heather on the Hill,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” and “Come to Me, Bend to Me.” But it ran for nearly 600 performances, was made into a 1954 film with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, and had several Broadway revivals; it was revived in London just last year. Its story is romantic fantasy, involving a pair of young American men visiting Scotland who stumble on the mysterious village of Brigadoon, which appears once every 100 years. They happen to be in the right place at the right time. Except one of them instantly falls in love with a village girl and faces a dilemma: leave her or disappear into Brigadoon and leave the real world behind forever.
Now Porthouse Theatre on the campus on Blossom Music Center will reviving Brigadoon in northeast Ohio, with Porthouse Producing Artistic Director Terri Kent directing, music direction by Jennifer Korecki, and prominent local choreographer Martín Céspedes handling the dancing which, as you might have guessed from the stars of the 1954 and the fact that Agnes DeMille provided the original choreography, is a significant part of this script.
Brigadoon opens on Friday July 24 and runs through Sunday August 9. Go here for tickets.