By Nate Brown
Finding the Draper Amphitheater on my way to see the Draper Arts Council’s production of Brigadoon required strict adherence to the directions my phone was giving me, but walking into to picturesque grass-tiered open-space venue immediately made the trip worth it. Completed in 2010 and outfitted with lighting and sound in 2012, the Draper Amphitheater immediately greeted me with a bridge, forest, and purple flowering wisteria spanning across the front of the stage (Set Designer/Carpenter Vic Carsey).
Families followed in behind me with camp chairs, blankets, and banquets. The Draper Amphitheater has concessions, but also explicitly allows outside food and beverage (no alcohol) in its grassy areas – perfect for a family picnic and a show.
As the sun set in the west, the lights came up showing us a misty glen with five players stoically starting the show in a Greek chorus singing the “Prologue,” preparing us for the entrances of Tommy Albright (played by Bradley Hatch) and Jeff Douglas (played by Corey Perdue), a pair of American game hunters who have lost their way in the Scottish Highlands.
Hatch and Purdue have an uncommon but workable dynamic together. Hatch is animated, emotive, and moves well across the stage. Purdue’s dialogue is flat and even-paced, and he is drawn to sitting positions as often as he’s drawn to the flask he keeps in his sport coat. This contrast unexpectedly sets up Brigadoon’s comedic dialogue between the two respectably, though sometimes the punchlines are a bit dry.
As the voices from the blessed town of Brigadoon draw us and the hunters to the mist, we are introduced to the rest of the fantastical characters from this enchanted community.
Hatch and Serena Mackerell (as Fiona MacLaren) have wonderful chemistry as our main love interests in the show. There are a few moments where the choreography seems to get the best of them and their onstage charisma shows cracks in the veneer, but all-in-all they carry us through the show pleasantly. Hatch’s connection to Mackerell fuels the elastic energy of their love, drawing them to each other throughout. Mackerell has a beautifully trained voice that navigates Fiona’s high notes well, and never once did I cringe at a flat upper pitch.
Chelsea Ottoson as Meg Brockie is a standout in the show. Her enthusiasm, comedic timing, and overall adorableness are wonderful. When Ottoson contrasts with the flat pacing of Purdue, the comedy is golden, sometimes both over-the-top and underdone at the exact same time.
In Brigadoon’s love triangle, Regan Stookey as Jean MacLaren leaves no question as to why she has won the hearts of Colin Baker (Charlie Dalrymple) and Jacob Crosby (Harry Beaton). Stookey shows outstanding poise and emotion throughout the show, and she and dancer Chloe Cox (as Maggie Anderson) shine with authentic emotion during “The Funeral.” Baker is solid with his lines and his notes, and carries his part effectively as Stookey’s fiancé. Crosby appropriately serves his purpose as catalyst for story tension, brooding and exploding with consistent anger over his spurned love.
The rest of the named characters and ensemble carry themselves well throughout the show, but two ensemble members deserve special mention. Ava Lillywhite and Emma Lillywhite bring an heart-warming and innocent sense of play to the show that you can’t find in the polished productions of downtown SLC, or even on Broadway in New York. Their presence in this show reminds the audience that we first fell in love with musicals, perhaps even first fell in love with being in a musical, because it’s fun to be onstage in front of an audience. It’s fun to dance. It’s fun to sing. It’s fun to pretend.
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Also deserving of special mention are the Bagpipers (Utah Pipe Band, and will be the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band Aug 31 and Sep 1) and the costumes (Costumer Tian Barnes). The presence of the pipers during “Entrance of the Clans” take the scene from being interesting to being a masterwork of Scottish pride. The bagpipe solo by Jim Barclay during “The Funeral” (performed by Christopher Johnson Aug 31 and Sep 1) adds a solemnity that I enjoyed a great deal. In the program, director Robin Edwards apologizes for the wearing of tartans and kilts because Brigadoon’s original time period of 1747 comes one year after they were banned by the English crown. I agree with her that the slight historical inaccuracy is worth it – Draper Arts Council’s Brigadoon is a beautiful and authentically Scottish spectacle. Dialect Coaches Caroll and Bill Elrick are from Scotland and volunteered to help with the accents when they heard Draper was doing the show. The sound by Sound Engineer Elias Skinner enhances the music and dialogue, letting our ears relax and enjoy the show. The light design by Light Engineer MacKenzie Hobbs is spooky in the mist and moors, and bright in the town. Everything you want in music theater.
This show carries the raw energy of a slightly-under-rehearsed community production. The music direction by Emily Roh is solid, allowing the music to carry us into the fantasy world of Brigadoon. The choreography by Caroll Elrick and Ivy Wilson is synchronized and adds a highland flair to the show.
Emotion, dialogue, and movement weave well throughout Draper Arts Council’s Brigadoon, and by the curtains’ close you may have forgotten that you aren’t in the highlands of Scotland. Brigadoon is family-friendly and is a great family activity or a fun date.
Draper Arts Council presents Brigadoon, book and lyrics by the Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, and original dances created by Agnes DeMille.
Draper Amphitheater, 944 E Vestry Rd, Draper, Utah 84020
August 24, 25, 27, 31, September 1, 2018, 8:00 PM, doors open at 7:30 PM
Tickets $10 adults, $7 children 12 and under, free for 2 and under.
Contact: 385-351-9468; admin@draperartscouncil.org
Brigadoon Facebook event
Draper Arts Council Facebook page
Reviewer Nate Brown says: “Draper Arts Council’s Brigadoon is a beautiful and authentically Scottish spectacle.
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