A magical Scottish village is the setting for hilarity and true love as Playhouse Merced presents the musical "Brigadoon."
"It's an old classic with a beautiful love story," director Nancy O'Bryan said. "It reminds us that if we love strong enough or just believe strong enough, we can make anything happen."
First presented on Broadway in 1947, "Brigadoon" was also adapted into a movie musical in 1954 starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse and Dodie Heath.
WHEN: Opens at Playhouse Merced Sept. 2 and runs three weekends through Sept. 18. Friday and Saturday evenings productions begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
TICKETS: Adults $20, seniors $17, students $10, children $8. Call (209) 725-8587 or visit the box office at 452 W. Main St. in Merced, Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
"The story focuses on American friends Tommy and Jeff, who discover the lost village of Brigadoon while hiking in the highlands of Scotland," marketing director Jim Kocher said.
They soon find out that Brigadoon is a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Each century is one day to the villagers who are still living in the 1740s.
"The villagers consider this miracle to be a blessing for it saved them from worldly destruction," O'Bryan said. "However, no one in the village can ever leave or they will break the covenant with God and Brigadoon will disappear into the mists forever, never to awaken again. Throughout the story we see the strain it can put on a village to keep up with such a covenant, but we also see what love and faith can do for an entire village as a whole and individually if it is strong enough."
In addition to the main cast, an ensemble of more than 30 plaid-wearing singers, dancers and performers also appears in this large-scale production.
"The music is fun and beautiful with a wonderful Scottish flair and will be one of the largest orchestras we've had so far," O'Bryan said. "I am having a lot of fun with the dancing, a combination of ballet, modern and Scottish country dance. It's fun for the cast to perform and should be fun for the audience to watch."
O'Bryan is looking forward to sharing the story of "Brigadoon" with the community.
"It seems that I always choose to direct shows like this," she said. "Shows that give people something to believe in, that give us hope for the future as our country pulls itself out of its economic hole. Shows that are heartfelt and fun with the dramatic thrown in there just to throw us off a bit. All of which add up to a wonderful evening of entertainment."
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