Brigadoon is a musical I grew up watching on TV. My mum was a big fan of Hollywood musicals, so they were the backdrop to my childhood. In adulthood, I became a regular theatregoer, seeing many musicals, old and new, but Brigadoon hasn’t been performed in London for over 30 years. So I was excited to see it on the bill for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre this year and it didn’t disappoint.
There is always something magical about seeing a show at Regent’s Park, as the theatre’s setting is so beautiful. So it was perfect for Brigadoon, which is a story about a magical village in the Scottish Highlands. The set designers did an excellent job of creating the village with a hill behind it and swathes of purple heather.
The Scottish feel of the show permeated throughout. At the start, musicians with bagpipes appeared from the top of the outdoor auditorium and played their way to the stage with drummers joining them halfway down. And the villagers not only spoke but sang with Scottish accents, which seemed unusual as singers generally lose their accents. But it added to the authentic feel of the production.
Like many Hollywood musicals, Brigadoon isn’t big on storyline, and in this updated version, the two Americans who find themselves lost in the Highlands are World War II pilots rather than on a hunting trip. Not a bad sign of changed times.
By chance, they wander into Brigadoon, which seems strangely old-fashioned to them. Not surprising since a miracle created 200 years ago means the village only appears once every hundred years. So for its residents, 200 years was only two days ago. As I said, Brigadoon is a magical story, so you need to suspend disbelief while you watch it unfold.
The leads are excellent. Louis Gaunt as American Tommy is well matched with Danielle Fianmanya, who plays Fiona, the local girl who quickly catches his eye. Danielle is sharing the role with Georgina Onuorah. Gilli Jones is perfect as Charlie, a young bridegroom who is about to marry Fiona’s sister Jean, played equally well by Jasmine Jules Andrews. Nic Myers is also a standout and brings a lot of laughs as racy villager Meg.
But the whole ensemble are a talented bunch and the dancing is first-rate. Excellent choreography by director Drew McOnie means the movement adds to the magical and mysterious feel of the show. Interestingly, there weren’t many songs I recognised, but maybe that’s a symptom of it not having been performed very often. But I still left with an earworm of ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, one of my mum’s favourite songs, and a feeling that she would have thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Brigadoon is on until 20 September and tickets can be booked on the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre website. For more reviews of theatre, art, comedy and music, check the Arts section of my blog.