Palm Canyon Theatre Opens Season With A Well-Paced, Charmingly Romantic BRIGADOON

Special to BWW by Shelby Winstead.

Palm Canyon Theatre opened their season last weekend with “Brigadoon”! This magical, classic story by Lerner and Loewe takes us on an unexpected, mystical journey back in time- or so we think. Two New Yorkers: Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas travel to the Scottish Highlands for vacation. On their trip, they get lost and stumble upon a town seemingly living in the past called Brigadoon. The people of Brigadoon are living hundreds of years ago and they know no such thing as modern life. 

We follow Tommy and Charlie's journey as they attempt to make their way back to their original vacation destination but, instead, they find their way back to themselves and what really matters in life. Se Layne (Fiona MacLaren) convey’s tremendous emotion and warmth through her stunning voice. Paul Grant (Tommy Albright) gives a stellar performance and his chemistry with Layne is real and riveting! 

Special accolades should be given to the beautiful choreography by Derik Shopinski. Shopinski helps to lift the story so beautifully through dance. JW Layne's stellar lighting design takes us artistically from one emotion to the next; the lighting effectively complimenting each and every moment. Overall, visually stunning!

Director Michael Pacas created a well paced and charming production. A lovely treat for anyone wishing to enjoy a night in the theater. This is one of Lerner and Lowe's most beautiful scores and the cast gives it new life with tremendous passion.

Despite the tricky sound system with mics going in and out throughout performance, the actors persevered. At moments the excess use of actors on stage created a conflict of focus and made it a challenge to follow the story. In theater, the audience loves to be so immersed that they forget where they are. The difficulty with the sound issues and set pieces  took the audience out of this otherwise beautifully told story. 

Theater, as we know, is not perfect and despite any opening weekend technical challenges, the honesty and commitment of the ensemble in portraying what it meant to live in Brigadoon blurred out any contention.  Palm Canyon Theatre brings to life this romance filled musical mystery through Sunday, September 24th. It is an overall beautiful experience. For tickets and information visit palmcanyontheatre.org.

Special to BWW by Shelby Winstead.