Brigadoon (musical)

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Brigadoon is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner ( book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). The musical produced by Cheryl Crawford had its Broadway premiere on March 13, 1947 at the Ziegfeld Theater. It was directed by Robert Lewis and the show was choreographed by Agnes de Mille . With 581 performances, it was the first great success for Lerner and Loewe.

It premiered in London's West End on April 14, 1949 at Her Majesty's Theater . The German-language premiere took place on April 10, 1980 in the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe . The translation is by Robert Gilbert .

background

The plot goes back to the story Germelshausen by Friedrich Gerstäcker about an enchanted village of the same name. In 1947, however, a piece set in Germany would still have been heavily burdened with memories of the war. So Lerner and Loewe relocated the story to folklore Scotland. The name is reminiscent of the Brig o 'Doon .

content

Tommy and Jeff from New York come on a holiday hike deep in the Scottish highlands to the idyllic, lively village of Brigadoon, which, strangely enough, is not shown on the map. There a - lovingly painted - wedding is being celebrated according to old tradition, and the two are invited. Tommy and the village beautiful Fiona fall in love.

But Brigadoon has a very unbelievable story that Tommy learns about by chance: The village is under a spell: It has sunk as a protection from the world gears, and can only appear in the real world for a single day every hundred years; if one of the villagers leaves the village, it sinks forever. However, a stranger can (and must) stay if he loves someone from the village: Love makes everything possible.

It is evening. Tommy decides to stay for Fiona's sake, but Jeff talks him out of it again. He argues that all of this is just an illusion and that their world is completely different and that he does not fit in with Brigadoon at all. Eventually, Jeff confesses to his friend that he involuntarily caused the death of a villager. Tommy, troubled, tears himself away from Fiona and Brigadoon with a heavy heart and returns with Jeff to the real world.

Months later, in New York, Jeff and Tommy meet again. Both are thrown off course: Jeff drinks, and Tommy can think of nothing else than Fiona, whom he still loves so much that her loss has rendered him completely unfit for everyday life.

Tommy persuades Jeff to go back to Scotland with him, even if it seems pointless. You can also find the place mentioned, but nothing of Brigadoon can be seen anymore. Tommy deeply laments his fate: why you have to lose things first to know what you got in them.

But just as they are about to leave, Brigadoon reappears: The love of Tommy and Fiona makes this miracle possible. In disbelief, Jeff sees Tommy walking towards the village and waving goodbye to disappear into the fog with him.

Musical contributions (1947 production)

(1) Once in the Highlands (2) Brigadoon (3) Down on MacConnachy Square (4) Waitin 'For My Dearie (5) I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean (6) The Heather on the Hill (7) The Love of My Life (8) Jeannie's Packing Up (9) Come to Me, Bend to Me (10)  Almost Like Being In Love   (11) The Wedding Dance (12) The Sword Dance (13) The Chase (14) There But For You Go I (15) My Mother's Weddin 'Day (16) Funeral Dance (17) From This Day On

filming

The musical was filmed by Vincente Minnelli in 1954, also under the title Brigadoon , and published by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Actors included Gene Kelly , Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse . The film won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Musical .

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