May 29, 30, June 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 1988
Once in the Highlands, the Highlands of
Scotland, two weary hunters lost their way....
So begins the adventure of two young New Yorkers, Tommy Albright (Philip Giesy) and Jeff Douglas (Brian King), who lose their way on a hunting trip in Scotland. They stumble onto Brigadoon, a mystical village that comes to life for one day every 100 years.
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's Brigadoon was a smash hit when it was first produced on Broadway in 1947. It was also a Hollywood film and a made-for-TV movie. The Forest Theatre is an ideal setting for the story's Scottish Highlands locale.
Directing this year's play was Lorinda McCoy Esposito, University of Washington graduate in drama, director of many Players' winter shows and an active Player since 1968, when she was nine years old. Musical direction was by Robert Cooper and choreography by Rosalyn Bellows.
At one performance the weather was extra-cooperative. Rain, falling all morning, ended as the trail opened at 1 p. m. The sun's warmth began drying out the Theatre. As the opening chorus began, a magical mist rose from the stage and the cast and audience entered the enchanted village of Brigadoon.
Based on the popularity of this show both for the Players and the audience (4,215 attended this production), it is within the realm of possibility that Brigadoon will come to life on the Forest Theatre stage well before another 100 years have past. After all, only 14 years have passed since its last appearance.