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‘Seven Brides’ @ the Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” Grade: B
8 tonight-Saturday. 2 p.m. Saturday. 1:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Theater of the Stars, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Midtown. 404-817-8700; ticketmaster.com.
The verdict: The best little Western musical in town.
If you want to see a creaky, old-fashioned musical get a rip-roaring physical and vocal workout, check out “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” at the Fox Theatre through Sunday.
The preposterously plotted, based-on-a-film, pre-“Brokeback” Western about the rough-hewn courtship of seven goofus mountain men and their willing women has turned Theater of the Stars’ 55th season opener into the summer’s most supremely likable family hoedown.
The all-new production somehow manages to gloss over the fact that the convoluted adaptation of Plutarch’s “Rape of the Sabine Women” has never been much of a contender in the musical-theater realm, despite some delightful tunes from the 1954 movie by Georgia lyricist Johnny Mercer and composer Gene De Paul.
Bless their beautiful hides, director Scott Schwartz and choreographer Patti Colombo deliver an exhilarating entertainment filled to the bursting point with athletic dancers, soaring singers and a seriously fine-looking ensemble of slap-happy cowpokes and pokettes.
Looking as tall as an Oregon evergreen, Adam Pontipee (Edward Watts) has no trouble seducing orphan mess cook Milly Bradon (Michelle Dawson) with his burnished mahogany baritone and form-fitting duds. He’s scruffy at first, but he sure cleans up nice. Yet instead of retiring to a blissful honeymoon under the whispering pines, poor Milly has to grab all six Pontipee bulls by the horns and rebrand them as eligible bachelors for the civilized belles of the nearby town.
Dawson is a divine soprano and terrific actress, and her Milly works wonders with the hungry and isolated Pontipee clan (“Goin’ Courtin’ ”). Not to short-change any of the able bride-actresses, but this show really is a vehicle for Adam, Milly and the Pontipee boys. As portrayed by a sextet of nimble character actors, each brother becomes a rich and indelible character study — from Karl Warden’s muscular, long-haired Daniel to Luke Longacre’s sweetly strapping Caleb to Christian Delcroix’s girlishly pretty Gideon.
Though Tuesday’s opening had a few distracting moments of slow-moving set pieces and wandering spotlights, Anna Louizos’ representations of the log-cabin landscape are nicely cushioned by John McLain’s lighting, and Jess Goldstein’s cowboy breeches and prairie gowns are fun and fetching.
But the real gift of this wedding banquet is the splendid choreography — a crazy quilt of high-kicking hootenanny steps, graceful ballet maneuvers (even by the giant male dancers) and splendid gymnastics involving backflips, somersaults and knockabout fight scenes. “The Challenge Dance” is designed to work the audience into a frenzy, which is exactly what happened Tuesday night.
In 1982, “Seven Brides” had the misfortune of arriving on Broadway at a time when Andrew Lloyd Webber was king. The show closed after five performances but has since staged a comeback as an unstoppable regional-theater fave. A co-production of New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse, Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars and Boston’s North Shore Music Theatre, this version makes the case that “Seven Brides” is an underappreciated gem.
To paraphrase the song about the Roman women of yore, you may be sobbin’ if you don’t see it.
Comments
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By TheJeff
June 28, 2007 7:06 AM | Link to this
I took the family to see this on Tuesday, everyone loved it. If you have the opportunity to get tickets, definitely go.
By Larissa Farley
June 28, 2007 1:12 PM | Link to this
Hi, just wanted to see if you would be intrested in coming out to the Blackwell Playhouse in Marietta to review the Wizard of Oz. The director is Broadway Star Dean Balkwill who played Roger in Rent for 2 years as well as a role in the Lion King on Broadway. He has done an amazing job with this show and it is way above what community theatre is typically able to do.
Friday June 29th 8:00pm, Saturday June 30th @ 2:00pm
Blackwell Playhouse 3378 Canton Road, Marietta, Ga 30066
By Larissa Farley
June 28, 2007 1:13 PM | Link to this
Hi, just wanted to see if you would be intrested in coming out to the Blackwell Playhouse in Marietta to review the Wizard of Oz. The director is Broadway Star Dean Balkwill who played Roger in Rent for 2 years as well as a role in the Lion King on Broadway. He has done an amazing job with this show and it is way above what community theatre is typically able to do.
Friday June 29th 8:00pm, Saturday June 30th @ 2:00pm
Blackwell Playhouse 3378 Canton Road, Marietta, Ga 30066
By RUChinaDoll
June 28, 2007 3:58 PM | Link to this
The show was wonderful Tuesday and Watts even played off the set problems without a hitch. The set, however, is goregous. Everyone should go see this one!
By bwaybaby
June 28, 2007 10:41 PM | Link to this
This show is a must see…for anyone who ever desired to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on stage, the set is amazing, the dancing is simply brilliant, the singing is stellar and what a way for Theater of the Stars to kick off their season. This is a true example of a remarkably staged version of a classic american musical.