BRIGADOON

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

★★★★

“The music and dance are the highlights, stylishly adding extra layers of the story onto the dialogue”

Lerner and Loewe’s “Brigadoon” hasn’t been performed in London for over thirty-five years, and the word, from some quarters, seems to be that there must be a reason for this. In short, though, Drew McOnie’s magical interpretation at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is a strong counterargument as to why it is definitely high time for a revival. Adapted and (kind of) updated by Rona Munro it almost makes sense of its impossibly whimsical narrative but, and goes along with it, creating an enchanting mix of music, dance and drama. We are swept up into the fantasy of it all, which in itself is quite a feat. It is the sort of plot that, if closely analysed, the holes picked in it would cause it to collapse completely.

The echoing sound of a big drum kicks off the evening, followed by haunting bagpipes. Basia Bińkowska’s multi-levelled, lush and heather-wrapped set merges into the park’s natural background. Two American fighter pilots appear over the brow of the hill. The romantically inclined Tommy (Louis Gaunt) is wounded while the more down-to-earth Jeff (Cavan Clarke) is rather unsuccessfully trying to get their bearings. They have literally dropped out of the sky and according to their map they appear to be nowhere. From this ‘nowhere’, however, the village of Brigadoon appears out of… well… nowhere. We have no alternate but to suspend our disbelief – the effect is quite intoxicating as we are surrounded by the glorious harmonies of the villagers. McOnie’s choreography is beautifully balletic, yet it somehow belongs to the world of Scottish reels and bagpipes too.

Brigadoon only exists for one day every one hundred years, thanks to a divine spell cast by the local minister two hundred years previously to protect it from the outside world. The townsfolk are forbidden to leave, otherwise the village would disappear forever. An outsider can only stay if they fall in love with a local, so strongly enough that they are prepared to give up everything for their love; ‘…after all, laddie, if ye love someone deeply, anythin’ is possible!’. The pilots spend pretty much all of act one unaware of this phenomenon, but when they discover it, have quite different reactions. This is very much a fairy tale, but also a love story burning away at its heart, with enough shades of darkness to prevent it from being too honey dewed.

The music and dance are the highlights, stylishly adding extra layers of the story onto the dialogue. Occasionally the movement is extraneous but always spectacular, held together by musical director Laura Bangay’s twelve-piece orchestra that mixes the traditional with the contemporary. The ensemble is just as vital as the lead players who generously never pull focus from the energy that floods the stage. Gaunt’s performance is quite believable (even if his story isn’t) in his depiction of an unwavering belief in love, that is also prone to moments of self-doubt, while Clarke’s pragmatic Jeff challenges but also accommodates his co-pilots idiosyncrasies, culminating in a deeply moving finale. The excellent Georgina Onuorah gives intensity and grace to Tommy’s love interest Fiona, while Nic Myers’ flirty Meg teases with, and confuses, Jeff with uncertain sex appeal. Jasmine Jules Andrews and Gilli Jones, as the newlyweds Jean and Charlie, are an enchanting couple. Danny Nattrass, as the tragic, lovesick Harry, matches an agile personality with a true talent for dance. Like the entire cast, the movement clearly defines the emotions and intentions of the characters.

All set against Jessica Hung Han Yun’s mystically atmospheric lighting, the evening is a delight throughout. The sumptuous score is at once familiar, yet fresh, with favourites such as ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, ‘The Love of My Life’ and ‘There but for You Go I’ sealing the message. It is a glorious tribute to the power of love. Like the unwitting co-pilots who wander into Brigadoon, we cannot fail to be moved and entertained by this production. It is unashamed escapism, but once we’re hooked, we don’t want to escape it.

BRIGADOON

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Reviewed on 12th August 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES | ★★★ | July 2025

SHUCKED | ★★★★★ | May 2025

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF | ★★★★★ | August 2024

THE SECRET GARDEN | ★★★ | June 2024

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE | ★★★★ | May 2024

TWELFTH NIGHT | ★★★★★ | May 2024

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES | ★★★★★ | August 2023

ROBIN HOOD: THE LEGEND. RE-WRITTEN | ★★ | June 2023

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND | ★★★★ | May 2023

LEGALLY BLONDE | ★★★ | May 2022

BRIGADOON

BRIGADOON</h3

★★★★

“The script may read like a Hallmark greetings card at times, but the show has all the hallmarks of a major hit.”

Being challenged in life is inevitable, but being defeated is optional. So runs one of the tag lines for Henry Fraser’s inspirational memoir published in 2017. Fraser was just seventeen years old when a tragic swimming accident on holiday in Portugal crushed his spinal cord. Paralysed from the shoulders down, he challenged and then conquered the unimaginable difficulties and, in doing so, has inspired others and taught invaluable lessons in how to seize life and adapt to a new way of living. But central to the story is the fact that he was never alone. The repercussions, reactions and unblinking support of his family and closest friends are unavoidably swept into the tidal wave of the drama. A real-life drama transformed into an uplifting, larger-than-life musical drama by Joe White (book), Nick Butcher (music and lyrics) and Tom Ling (lyrics).

The piece revolves around a dialogue between the two Henry’s: post-accident (Ed Larkin) and pre-accident (Jonny Amies). It is a love-hate, symbiotic relationship. A tug-of-war where the two are simultaneously struggling to teach each other how to look backwards and forwards. The chemistry between Larkin and Amies is unfeigned and naturally heartfelt; the necessary conflicts yielding much of the show’s humour and pathos. But the rest of the cast have their fair share too. Crucial to Fraser’s rehabilitation is physiotherapist Agnes, played with undisguised relish by Amy Trigg. Occasionally a little too pleased with the audience reception, Trigg is nevertheless a charismatic tour de force, graced with some of the best lines. Linzi Hately and Alasdair Harvey as the mother and father respectively both touch on the agony and the ecstasy inherent in the narrative. Particularly Hately as she looks back on her son’s early life during her standout solo number. ‘One to Seventeen’. The lyrics border on sentimentality but are pulled back by Hately’s honest and raw performance of the number.

“Fay Fullerton’s costume design is given its own catwalk during a gloriously surreal nightclub scene”

Elsewhere the score is uniformly upbeat, almost relentlessly so as if the messages need to be drummed home with a four-four backbeat and rousing chorus. The show stopping “The World is Waiting” heralds the interval but feels like the grand finale. One wonders where it can go from here, but the second act does open with therapeutic doses of comedy. And Fay Fullerton’s costume design is given its own catwalk during a gloriously surreal nightclub scene with a ‘Monopoly’ fancy dress theme. Later, as the characters race towards the dependable denouement, primary colours are the order of the day. It is brash and it is bold, and undoubtedly stirring, but we see the vivid rainbow of colours without really understanding the unseen shades of the spectrum. All of a sudden Henry Fraser is opening an exhibition of his artwork – painted just by using his mouth – yet the narrative airbrushes out the sweat and tears that were shed to reach that achievement. Fraser’s story is one of extreme triumph and hardship, but too often here it seems to be given an easy ride.

Nevertheless, it is a triumphant production. Luke Sheppard’s staging is impeccable, eschewing any kind of set, relying on lighting (Howard Hudson), innovative choreography (Mark Smith) and, above all, outstanding performances. It is a celebration of life. There is absolutely no room for negativity. At the heart of Henry Fraser’s hard-won philosophy is his belief that every day is a good day. The script may read like a Hallmark greetings card at times, but the show has all the hallmarks of a major hit.

Tag Archives: Laura Bangay

BRIGADOON

★★★★

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BRIGADOON

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

★★★★

“The music and dance are the highlights, stylishly adding extra layers of the story onto the dialogue”