I suspect this new Brigadoon production is a work in progress. A lot of money has been poured into it so you can bet that there will be another mounting -- most likely at a regional theater out east somewhere. This production has an all-Chicago cast and it's been cast older to accommodate all our veterans. I imagine the next mounting will have different actors. Rachel Rockwell has done some very fine work at several of our most prestigious theaters the last few years, but I think a more experienced hand is needed if Broadway is the ultimate aim.
I love the Harry Potter books and films but they are pretty much all fantasy. This Brigadoon wants to have it both ways. An historically accurate back story, stunning projections showing the forests and hills as Tommy and Jeff's plane prepares to land, and then there's the change in the tone of the chase for Harry Beaton. In the original Jeff accidentally trips Harry, who crashes his head against the rocky crags and dies. In this version Jeff deliberately (and rather shockingly) shoots Harry in the back to keep him from reaching the bridge. His explanation to Tommy is that it was the only way to stop him and after all the entire village and all its inhabitants aren't real.
For me this was a pretty flimsy excuse for killing someone in cold blood. If Harry really believes Brigadoon isn't real, why doesn't he just let Harry leave and have the town disappear. Tommy (as played by a rather mature Kevin Earley) just seems way too sensible to leave his world behind to marry Fiona and live in a strange town that he can never leave. When the two of then wake up in 2047, how exactly will they earn a living? When Meg Brockie and Maggie Anderson wake up in 2047, will they really be content to stay in a town where they may have trouble finding mates? Why wouldn't they just leave?
In previous productions I was carried away by the glorious score and intoxicating romanticism -- I accepted the fantasy of it all without analyzing every single aspect. I just wasn't able to do it with this production, although as I stated earlier it was beautifully sung, danced, and acted.
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