Magical village Brigadoon to appear on stage

Shauna Carter

It’s magical, it’s musical — it’s “Brigadoon,” a play premiering tonight at 8 p.m. in the E. Turner Stump Theater.

“Brigadoon” is about a village that appears just once every 100 years while the villagers feel only one night has passed in that time.

Terri Kent, director of “Brigadoon,” said the play consists of many things that.

“It’s about magic and faith and miracles and love,” Kent said. “There are two (American) gentlemen who go hunting in Scotland in May and become lost. While they are stuck in the forest and lost a village appears out of nowhere… out of the Highland mist.”

One hunter falls in love with one of the villagers and decides to go back to find her, Kent said. She said the theme is “that if you love someone enough, anything can happen — even a miracle.”

“There is comedy, there is tragedy, there is a lot of intensity. So it gives students a little bit of everything,” Kent said.

The play was chosen to coincide with the opening of the Roe Green Center on Saturday.

“I thought ‘Brigadoon’ would be fitting because basically Roe gave us a miracle with this new building,” Kent said. “She loved us enough that she made it happen.”

Musical director Jonathan Swoboda said the music in “Brigadoon” has a “dancy” feel to it and an intense sound because the musical typically has a very large orchestra composed of 30 musicians. Swoboda said that much sound comes with heavy cost, so Kent’s orchestra for “Brigadoon” will consist of 12 musicians.

“The music is very classic,” Swoboda said. “There is a traditional folk dance of Scotland feel to a lot of the music. There is humor in the music and it has a big sound to it.”

The original composers for “Brigadoon” are Alan J. Lerner (the writer and lyricist) and Frederick Loewe (music composer). Lerner and Loewe also worked together on the famous musicals, “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot.”

Gunther Henkel-Moellmann, a senior musical theater major, plays the popular and respected Brigadoon townsperson Charlie, who is getting married.

Henkel-Moellmann said the town was willing to postpone the villages’ miracle of appearing once every 100 years in order for Charlie to finish his college.

“Some people are going to be weirded out maybe with the story and how it is a little far-fetched, but I think it is a beautiful story,” Henkel-Moellmann said. “It is kind of the story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl and what the power of love can do.”

Kent said she hopes people get the message the musical is trying to convey.

“I hope that the audience is entertained,” Kent said. “It is enlightening and makes us think how much we are willing to lose or give up to find what is really important.”

Showings

Nov. 5 at 8p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Roe Green Center grand opening

Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 10 at 8p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 11 at 8p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 12 at 8p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 13 at 8p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. in E. Turner Stump Theatre

You can contact Shauna Carter at [email protected].