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Dec. 23, 2005
Secrets of the village
Brigadoon offers fine singing, but poor acting.
BAILA LAZARUS
Two Vancouverites sing (and sort of dance) their way in and out
of a mysterious village in Gateway Theatre's presentation of Brigadoon,
with music by Frederick Loewe, book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner
and original dances by Agnes de Mille.
Opening in 1947 as a theatre production and followed up by a movie
in 1954, Brigadoon is about two North Americans, this time
Vancouverites, on a backpacking trip, who become lost in Scotland.
As they take a break, marvelling at the scenery and wondering where
they are, the village of Brigadoon emerges out of the mist. A normal
village up until the 1700s, Brigadoon was hidden by a special miracle
to protect it from evil. Now, after the villagers go to sleep, when
they wake up the next day, it is 100 years later. That way, none
of the inhabitants live long enough in any one century to be affected
by it. According to the miracle, if someone from the outside falls
in love with someone in Brigadoon, he or she can stay forever, but
if someone from the town were to leave, Brigadoon would completely
disappear.
Mark Pawson and Leon Wiley star as the lost hikers, Tommy and Jeff,
who stumble on Brigadoon in the middle of the wedding of Jean (Chelsea
Hochfilzer) and Charlie (Jeremy Crittenden). Mark falls in love
with the bride's sister, Fiona (Evelyn Thatcher), and eventually
wants to stay. At the same time, a disgruntled suitor, Harry (Vince
Kanasoot), tries to leave the village, causing chaos and fear that
his flight will bring an end to the miracle.
One of the things that makes this a tricky production to cast is
that the actors not only have to sing and act, but must speak with
Scottish accents and dance. Unfortunately, finding cast members
who could perform all four duties skilfully proved almost impossible
in this latest production.
Thankfully, the focus was put on the competency of singing, and
the main characters, particularly Pawson, Thatcher, Hochfilzer and
Crittenden, delivered excellent vocal performances. However, the
rest of their responsibilities – and the rest of the cast –
ranged vastly. Pawson had no stage presence; the timing was off
on a lot of the choreography, with some dancers going up while others
were going down; and, after listening to Kanasoot, I can now say
I've lived to hear the worst Scottish accent ever. This actor was
horribly miscast.
Before you turn the page, however, you might want to note that the
1954 film also had its issues, with great stars such as Gene Kelly,
Tommy Albright and Cyd Charisse all drawing criticism for the lack
of consistency in their singing, acting and dancing. As I said,
it's a tricky production to cast. Thankfully, the story itself is
a wonderful tale and the main characters at the Gateway do have
tremendous voices that compensate for the play's weaknesses.
Running for almost 600 performances, the original Brigadoon
was actually based on the story of a German village that was cursed.
The name of Lerner's imaginary location is believed to based on
a well-known Scottish landmark – the Brig o' Doon (Bridge of
Doon), in Alloway, Scotland, in the heart of Robbie Burns country.
According to a story by the poet Burns, the stone span is the very
bridge over which the legendary Tam o' Shanter fled on his horse
Meg in order to escape from the three witches who were chasing him.
Lerner and Loewe won the New York Drama Critics Award for best musical
for Brigadoon, which includes songs "Almost Like Being
in Love" and "I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean."
Directed by David Adams, Brigadoon plays at the Gateway Theatre
until Jan. 1. Tickets are $30-$36. Call 604-270-1812 or visit www.gatewaytheatre.com.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and
illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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