Derby Dinner Playhouse presents: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. March 31 – May 10, 2015; Pictured from left to right: Jordan Cyphert, Austin Stang, Jililan Prefach, Justin Ostergard, Dick Baker, Michael McClure, and Adam Raque (front)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Musical. Derby Dinner Playhouse, 525 Marriot Drive, Clarksville, IN. 812-288-8281 or www.derbydinner.com.
May 31 –May 10, 2015
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers a hit at Derby Dinner Playhouse. [rating:4]
Last weekend, after arriving early in Louisville for the 2015 Humana New American Plays Festival, a glance at entertainment available in the area revealed an opening night for one of my favorite musicals. As luck would have it, the venue is the Derby Dinner Playhouse (DDP) that boasts it is in 40th year of productions, was only 10 minutes away across the Ohio River in Indiana. Be informed that this staging of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is almost as fresh/fun today, although truncated, as the great 1954 MGM film.
There are minor caveats that do not deserve mention since the totality of evening will leave you with a pleasant glow. It is an evening of fun with a tuneful, colorful, energetic, crowd pleasing production that will have you humming the songs, admiring the hoe-down dancing and scratching your head wondering how resident director Lee Buckholz has managed to keep this mostly young cast of 24 in sync. The extremely competent cast is more than helped by energetic dancing (Choreographer Heather Paige Folsom), colorful costumes (Sharon Murray Harrah) and musical director Scott Bradley’s five-piece off stage band to enhance the shenanigans.
There are shenanigans galore beginning with Edward Miskie (Adam) and Jillian Prefach (Millie) in the featured roles doing superlative job surrounded with proficient hardworking dancers. Then there is a great book and music. Score is by Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul and book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay. The story line is faithful to the film with some songs dropped and others added. It is based on the “Legend of the Sabine Women” and “The ‘Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benet.
Set in 1850 Oregon lumberjack country, Adam has come into town singing “Bless your Beautiful Hide” looking for a wife. A Townsman says, “You won’t find one here. All our gals are spoken for.” Pretty Milly, a great cook, is available, accepts his proposal (Wonderful, Wonderful Day) and goes off to the mountain house ecstatically singing “One Man.”
Boy, is she in for a surprise. Adam has six scruffy, ill-mannered brothers who also need, not necessarily want, wives. Milly takes charge and turns these ruffians into almost gentlemen. The transformation is a joy to behold. The six brothers are scattered about the stage in bedraggled costumes and come back in eye-popping dress ready to sing “Goin’ Courtin” and go off to town to meet the gals.
The Church Social leads to confrontation with the town boys and we are treated to a dance contest ending in a rip roarin’ fightin’ dance number between six town boys and the six brothers fightin’ for six beautiful gals. It’s a draw but now the brothers have all fallen in love.
Adam has the solution. Go into town and carry off the gals just like in the myth of the Sabine women. Yep, there’s a song “Sobbin’ Women” with Adam and the brothers to end the first act.
The gals are stolen in a hilarious set of vignettes and carried off. An avalanche blocks the Pass, the only entrance to the homestead. The town-folks must wait until the Spring for the rescue. Love blossoms between the six brothers and the six gals. Love between Adam and Milly is tested. Finally Spring arrives to the tunes of “Spring Dance”, “Glad You were Born”and “Love Never Goes Away.”
With the advent of Spring the Townsfolk arrive. After a series of confrontations all works out well as the six couples, with guns at their backs, leave the woods and end in a Church Yard for a reprise of “Wonderful, Wonderful Day.” And what a finale. All 24 are on stage dancing up a storm in “Wedding Dance.” Running time under two hours with an intermission.
CAST: Edward Miskie, Jillian Prefach, Justin Ostergard, Michael McClure, Jordan Cyphert, Austin Stang, Dick Baker, Adam Raque, Sara King, Kayla Peabody, Eliza Donahue, Cami Glauser, Madeline Perrone, Matthew Brennan, Alex Craig, Lem Jackson, Matthew Chappell, Jordan Moody, Chris Bryant, Paul Kerr, Kiersten Vorheis, Kevin Cram, Elizabeth Loos.
CREATIVE STAFF: Directed/Scenic Designer, Lee Buckholz; Lighting Designer, Aaron Hutto; Sound Designer, David Nelson; Musical Director, Scott Bradley; Costume Designer, Sharon Murray Harrah; Choreography, Heather Paige Folsom; Stage Manager, Kevin Love; Properties Designer, Ron Riall.
Kedar K. Adour, MD
Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com
