Playwright: Alan Jay Lerner ( book & lyrics ), Frederick Loewe ( music ) At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: 312-443-3800; www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Brigadoon; $25-$98 Runs through: Aug. 17
Take a musical with a wonderful score from Broadway's Golden Era, and sing and play that score beautifully, and you're 80 percent of the way to a hitand that's Brigadoon at the Goodman Theatre. When lovers Fiona McClaren ( Jennie Sophia ) and Tommy Albright ( Kevin Earley ) soar in song, this new production can do no wrong, and the audience soars with them on "From This Day On" and "Almost Like Being in Love." The eminently hummable Lerner and Loewe score is lilting, rhythmic and tender in alternating beats, and it's heard to near-perfection as guided by musical director Roberta Duchak and played by a 13-piece orchestra.
The supporting cast reaches the same standard. Comic characters Meg Brockie ( Maggie Portman ), the hot-to-trot milkmaid, and Jeff Douglas ( Rod Thomas ) are equally adept at delivering quips, sardonic comments and wry lyrics ( in Portman's case; Thomas doesn't sing ). And the secondary leadsthe substantial dance roles of "Bonnie" Jean McClaren ( Olivia Renteria ), Charlie Dalrymple ( Jordan Brown ) and Harry Beaton ( Rhett Guter )give deep sensual value to their songs and ( especially ) dances, thereby underscoring the considerable sexuality beneath the pretty surface of Brigadoon.
Not quite as successful is the decision by director and choreographer Rachel Rockwell to revise Alan Jay Lerner's original book dating from 1947, a chore handled by Brian Hill mostly with skill, if not always subtlety. But in a shocking alteration in Act II, comic lead Jeff Douglas deliberately shoots Harry Beaton as the townsfolk chase Harry. Sorry, there's no way that outright murder is suitable for Brigadoon, which is a romantic fairy tale.
You know the story: Two post-WWII American buds, vacationing in the Scottish Highlands, stumble upon a 1740s town where Tommy finds love. Miraculously, Brigadoon appears only one day each century, although for the townsfolk only a single day has passed. Brigadoon will cease to exist if anyone leaves the town, which is what Harry tries to do. But it's not the comic lead's job to stop the villain ( which Harry is, although he's not villainous ); it's the hero's job. The murderous revision only makes worse the most awkward element of Lerner's story. Here's how it should work: As everyone pursues Harry, he encounters Tommy, the hero, who grapples him to the ground. Harry hits his head on a rock and dies ( which sticks to Lerner's original ). If Tommy is responsible for Harry's accidental death, it gives him greater motivation both to leave Brigadoon and to eventually return.
This big issue has nothing to do with the quality of the performances. Goodman's Brigadoon brings back Broadway's Golden Age with musical luster, although I decry scenic designer Kevin Depinet's use of too-often-darned fishnet as a screen for his lovely projections of the Highlands.