Brigadoon, written by the duo of Alan Jay Lerner (book and
lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music), is one of my favorite love
stories.
It is a wistful fantasy about two Americans who stumble on the
enchanted village of Brigadoon while hunting grouse on the Scottish
moors. The hero falls in love with beautiful Fiona then learns that
the village materializes from the mists of time every 100 years for
a single day. Fiona cannot leave with him or the village is doomed
to disappear forever. Torn between his love for her and his
obligation to go home to his fiancee, he returns to New York.
There, his overpowering desire for Fiona and for the peace of
Brigadoon cause him to break his engagement and return to Scotland
in a desperate search for the village. Through the miracle of her
love for him, Fiona and the village reappear, and he joins them
forever.
Songs from the show include, Brigadoon; Waitin' For My Dearie;
I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean; The Heather On The Hill; Almost Like
Being In Love; The Gathering Of The Clans; The Wedding Dance; The
Chase; Down On MacConnachy Square.
The original Broadway production, directed by Robert Lewis and
produced by Cheryl Crawford, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on
March 13th, 1947. It starred David Brooks as Tommy, Marion Bell as
Fiona, Lee Sullivan as Charlie, and Pamela Britton as Meg. It ran
for 581 performances and shared a Tony Award for Agnes De Mille's
choreography. It also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award
for Best Musical, and has had many well-received revivals over the
years.
A film version of Brigadoon (MGM), directed by Vincente
Minnelli, was released in 1954. It stared Gene Kelly as Tommy
Albright, Van Johnson as Jeff Douglas, Cyd Charisse as Fiona
Campbell, Elaine Stewart as Jane Ashton, Barry Jones as Mr. Lundie,
Hugh Laing as Harry Beaton, Albert Sharpe as Andrew Campbell,
Virginia Bosler as Jean Campbell, Jimmy Thompson as Charlie
Dalrymple, Tudor Owen as Archie Beaton, and Eddie Quillan as Sandy.
The film won the 1955 Golden Globe award for best color
cinematography and was nominated for three Academy Awards.