Interview: 'It's The First Time I Could Really Connect With My Culture': Actor Jasmine Jules Andrews on Scottish Pride and Reimagining BRIGADOON

After 35 years, Brigadoon is returning to London, this time at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. In this reimagined production, Tommy and Jeff, two World War II fighter pilots, crash land in the Highlands of Scotland and discover the magical land of Brigadoon, where not everything is what it seems.

We had the chance to chat with Jasmine Jules Andrews, who plays Jean McLaren in Brigadoon. We discussed what it’s been like to connect with her Scottish culture, the surprising audition process and the beauty of the show and this particular production.

So how did you first get started in the world of theatre?

Well, I started dancing when I was four. I was going to my local dance studio, just two minutes up the road from my house, and I loved it. By the age of fifteen, I realised that I could make a career out of this. I didn't know that was accessible to me.

I’d never seen a show until my dance school took us to see The Lion King. We went to Edinburgh and I just thought, “Wow, this is what everyone's talking about. This is the thing.” And the next show I saw was Wicked. It was just getting bigger and bigger, and my view was expanding wider and wider. I thought, “Wow, I really want to do this. I really want to make people feel the way that these shows have made me feel - that I can do anything, and we can all do anything. Isn't that so beautiful?”

And what made you want to be a part of Brigadoon?

Oh, my goodness, I knew from the moment I entered the audition space! The space was just so calm and welcoming and pure. That's the only way I can really describe it - pure and honest. And that's Drew [McOnie, Director and Choreographer]. That's who he is. We were learning this material, and he was getting us all to get involved. 

And then by the next round, I was like, “Wow. This is Scottish. This is my heritage. This is where I'm from,” and it was the first time I felt I could really connect with my culture. Up until this point, I've not been in a position where I've been encouraged to sing in my own accent - to sing with my voice was something so extraordinary to me. I'd never been in that position. I'd only ever sang in an American or an RP English accent. I'd never sang with my Scottish lilt! There's just something really magical about connecting with your voice and how you sound, not putting anything on top. It's just you. 

It sounds like an incredible audition - it sounds like a rehearsal already!

Honestly, it really felt like we were in this together and we're going to do it. It took all the regular audition pressure that you'd normally carry off your shoulders immediately. It's like, “We're just here. We're just people. We're dancing together,” and it was gorgeous.

And had you been familiar with Brigadoon before auditioning? 

I'd heard of it back in college! We had to do this alphabet game where we had to go around and say a musical with the letter of the alphabet. I remember at one point, someone was like, “B . . . Brigadoon!” And I thought, “What's Brigadoon?” I was speaking to my teacher, who just happened to be Scottish. He was like, “That's Brigadoon. You're Scottish. You should know that one!”

And then when this opportunity came up, I did some researching. My mum sent me a wee bootleg recording on WhatsApp! I watched it. And obviously it's been over 35 years since it's been done, so there are some themes in the original that don't really fly today. We're uplifting women now. Full stop, we're uplifting women now. Thank goodness we are! So this production is a reimagining, bringing it closer to home, making Scotland like itself, because that version was not the Scotland that we know. That was the Scotland that an American thought was Scotland, and it just wasn't quite connected. Whereas Rona, {Munro-director] as a Scottish person, has connected the truth of Scotland. 

For those who might not know about Brigadoon, can you tell us a bit about it and the role that you play?

Yes! So Brigadoon is this magical town, and it only arrives once every 100 years, because a man called Mister Forsythe sacrificed himself to protect the town from the war that was coming. He went to speak to the spirits of the Highlands and said, “What can I do to protect my beautiful town and keep them safe from this war?” So he made a deal with the spirits. Brigadoon would go to sleep and wake up in 100 years, but we won't register that, because we're untouched by the outside world. We're only there for a day, and then we go to sleep again, and that's 100 years again. And these two American pilots crash their plane. They stumble upon this place that's not on the map, and they're thinking, “What's going on?” And then they come and they meet us, and we're thinking, “What's going on?” We don't know what Americans are. We're just from Brigadoon - we only know Brigadoonians. 

And my character, Jean, she's getting married to Charlie [Gilli Jones], and she's so excited. She has a big sister called Fiona [Danielle Fiamnaya], and a dad called Andrew [Edward Baruwa]. But Fiona doesn't have someone in Brigadoon that she wants. So Jean has found independence through love, through this experience of falling for someone - she can't follow in her sister's footsteps anymore because her sister doesn't go down that road. So it's her first time where she can just listen to her intuition and what feels right to her. It's just the most beautiful thing. The whole show is the most beautiful thing. 

What has the rehearsal process been like?

Oh, my goodness, dreamy! Honestly, this rehearsal process has just been so smooth and really fluid. We've just gone with the days, and the days have gone with us - the team is just so beautiful. The creative team is so beautiful, so understanding. Everyone is listening, everyone is talking. Everyone is communicating really clearly, and we all collectively understand what we're trying to achieve every day, so we know what's expected of us, and what we’re trying to achieve. It's clear, it's calm and it's fun. We've been laughing so much! We've been literally falling over laughing, having the best time. It's just been a really gorgeous space to work in. 

This revival sounds very different from any other production of Brigadoon. What is it like to be a part of that?

It's so interesting because I'm learning so much every day. I'm learning from everyone around me. I'm learning from Rona. I'm learning from Drew and his brain, and the way that he can see everything - just watching him work is just incredible. And I'd say that it's very refreshing.

I wouldn't say that it's completely different. It's just honest and truthful, and it's more connected to now than it ever has been. Back in the day it was a bit of making fun of Scotland, making jokes towards women, and it’s just not what Scotland's about. It's just not what Brigadoon is about. This is genuinely how I feel -  I'm super passionate!

What do you hope audiences take away from Brigadoon?

I hope that audiences can take away a deeper understanding of different forms of love. In this production we have platonic love, romantic love, familial love, unrequited love. I just hope that from this production, audiences can leave with a wee bit more compassion and gentleness for each other, a bit more care for our fellow human beings that are around us. A bit more care, a bit more compassion, a bit more gentleness and grace - that's what I really hope. And all the feelings - I hope they feel everything! I hope they feel all that we feel, because while we're in it, we feel it. We feel it from the top of our head to the tip of our toes.

And finally, how would you describe Brigadoon in one word?

Beautiful. I know I've said authentic and honest and all the other words in the book, but beautiful. Just beautiful.

Brigadoon is at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until 20 September

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