Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Review
Lerner and Loewe's rarely revived classic unfurls outdoors for the summer
Upon the hills of the Scottish Highlands, a mysterious village and its people only appear once every 100 years. That’s one century gone after every sleep for the people of Brigadoon – not the most common of material for a Golden Age musical.
Yet it did not take as long until Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe’s rarely revived musical to resurface on the London stage: just nearly eight decades after its Broadway premiere and 35 years after its last West End revival, did the production rise through the theatre roofs and descend on the majestic forests of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, helmed by Drew McOnie in his inaugural season as Artistic Director.
Rona Munro’s new adaptation places the action amidst World War II, when two American fighter pilots Tommy Albright (Louis Gaunt) and Jeff Douglas (Cavan Clarke) find themselves crash landing onto the mountains, where the village by the name of Brigadoon would appear in front of their eyes and begin, for Tommy at least, an alluring journey in search of love that would only be reachable once from sunrise to nightfall. While the significance of this wartime change (from the original of tourists exploring Scotland for leisure) is not made explicit, there might be a justifiable longing for emotional intimacy numbed by the horror of war, for those deployed away from home, so that even wildly unexpected love as one lasting just 24 hours can feel like a blessing from above.
Before the success that would be their 1956 hit My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe’s ability to paint with music already shines through in this piece, with adventurous harmonic progression weaving together both the orchestral and vocal counterparts of the score. Lerner’s lyrics aren’t consistently memorable, but frequent poetic references do suit the operatic, cantabile voices – appearing especially lyrical in a range of Scottish accents.
Strong performances remain a creditable highlight in the company, including Georgina Onuorah sharing the role of Fiona McLaren with Danielle Fiamanya; Opposite Gaunt’s Tommy, Onuorah returns after dazzling audiences in Shucked this season with her distinctively fierce voice. Both assured in their vocal capabilities, the pair delivers superbly clean duets the likes of Almost Like Being in Love and The Heather on the Hill, alongside bubbly personalities aplenty, with Nic Myers (Meg Brockie) and Gilli Jones (marking their professional debut as Charlie Dalrymple) leaving particularly playful impressions.
It was only fitting that with McOnie’s extensive background in dance, this revival (alongside Ebony Molina as associate choreographer) fused vibrant contemporary elements into the traditional sounds of Scottish folk dances, inspired by Agnes De Mille’s original choreography. Movement disperses like watercolour at various points in the story, from upbeat wedding dances to accompany pub chants, to subtle moments when silhouettes stretch and shift to Sarah Travis’ orchestral flourishes, performed behind an atmospheric waterfall by an eleven-piece onstage band led by Laura Bangay.
It's always magical to be sat amongst the lush green of the Open Air Theatre as twilight fades into the night, when naturalistic yet atmospheric lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun illuminates the muted textures on Basia Bińkowska’s raked set, seeing shades of light gently peering through heather-lined stones; scenic design is embedded into the natural beauty of the space, punctuating the action with a softly flickering glow.
By the time darkness settles in, questions still linger following slightly underexplored character arcs, culminating in an ending nearly as unexpectedly rushed as the town vanishing into the distant air; one couldn’t quite work out how the heartbroken air pilot, appearing to be struck by the reality of his short-lived relationship in an otherworldly dimension, would all of a sudden hear voices and be resurrected, stepping triumphantly back to the disappearing village in the final moments of the show; but ignoring that, perhaps with an expected suspense of disbelief, lively dances, sentimental voices and a blossoming of noteworthy performances make the show an charming watch – a breath of musical tranquillity beneath the midsummer skies.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Brigadoon plays at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until 20 September. Book with London Theatre Direct, or find more production information from the venue website.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representatives for the production, with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the producers or venue. Standard tickets are available from £15, with flat prices of £15-35 for Monday performances and £25 Rush tickets available via the TodayTix app.
♾️ The production features the use of bagpipes, haze and amplified music and noises throughout, with a fairly consistent soundscape from speakers placed across the auditorium. Aisles and voms are frequently used as entrances, noted below: