'Brigadoon' to be presented by Quincy Allied Arts
Bridgadoon time travelers (from left) Cyril Berndt, Byron Buys and Titus Berndt brandish their swords. Quincy Valley Allied Arts will present five performances of the play, with opening night Feb. 28.
QUINCY - Scottish time travel and timeless true love, and some pretty good music and dance, will be highlighted when the curtain goes up on the Quincy Valley Allied Arts production of "Brigadoon," beginning next week.
Performances are Feb. 28 and March 1, 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee March 8. All performances are at Quincy High School, 16 Sixth Ave. SE, in the Chuck McConnell Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $10 per person and are available at the Martin Morris Insurance Agency office in Quincy, 13 C St. SW, and at the door.
"Brigadoon" is classic Broadway, a tale of two New Yorkers who stumble across a mysterious village on their first night in Scotland. The village is a mystery because it only appears once a century, and it's only accessible for 24 hours. But a lot can happen in 24 hours, including a love affair, a wedding and a lot of vintage Broadway numbers.
The 1947 musical was written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe, who later wrote 'My Fair Lady.'
"We hadn't done 'Brigadoon' before," said Janice Flynn, a QVAA board member. The company has plenty of big Broadway productions on its resume, including "My Fair Lady," and "Brigadoon" was a new experience for most of the cast, Flynn said.
It's one of those shows that most people remember, at least a little, she said; they may not be sure why they remember it, but the music is familiar.
The time travel plot appeals to people, Flynn said, and the 18th Century setting gives people a look at a different world, "seeing costumes you don't see on the street."
Yeah, the costumes. The company has a large closet full of costumes for almost every time and place. "It's amazing, what you collect," said Mandy Ottley, QVAA board member and costumer designer.
But the costume closet didn't quite stretch to 18th Century Scotland. "We did have to make a lot of kilts this year," Flynn said, and flowy 18th Century shirts to go with them.
Quincy Valley Allied Arts produces three shows each year, the spring musical, a summer melodrama and a children's production in the fall, Flynn said.