Brigadoon

[richardfinegold]

We saw a production at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago last night. Very well sung with excellent
Choreography. I had never seen it staged before and only knew the Movie which I haven't seen in eons.
The note in the program stated that this production was rewritten with the permission of the Estates of Lerner and Lowe. There was supposed to be some emphasis on Scottish resistance to what would now be referred to as "ethnic Cleansing" at the hands of the English. I actually did not detect any of this, so whatever rewriting was done must have been very minimal.

[french frank]

"It always felt like a play about Scotland with very little Scotland in it, more like Disney Scotland, Scotland in Epcot. We wanted to give it more of a historical context. Mercifully, when I googled 1746 Scotland, it’s the year of one of the biggest battles in Scottish history, the Battle of Culloden. It was so fortuitous that that was when this work was taking place.

“Essentially, it was the disbanding of the clan system in Scotland and the identities of the people were forever changed. They were trying to assimilate, but essentially it was ethnic cleansing. There was retribution for anyone who fought in the Battle of Culloden so they went into all the villages and pulled out anyone whom they suspected of being involved in this conflict and either killed them, or drove them off their land and forbade them to wear their Highland dress, punishable by prison. You were no longer allowed to wear your kilt or any of the things that went along with Highland dress, no weapons of any kind."

The director's take on it.

[richardfinegold]

"It always felt like a play about Scotland with very little Scotland in it, more like Disney Scotland, Scotland in Epcot. We wanted to give it more of a historical context. Mercifully, when I googled 1746 Scotland, it’s the year of one of the biggest battles in Scottish history, the Battle of Culloden. It was so fortuitous that that was when this work was taking place.

“Essentially, it was the disbanding of the clan system in Scotland and the identities of the people were forever changed. They were trying to assimilate, but essentially it was ethnic cleansing. There was retribution for anyone who fought in the Battle of Culloden so they went into all the villages and pulled out anyone whom they suspected of being involved in this conflict and either killed them, or drove them off their land and forbade them to wear their Highland dress, punishable by prison. You were no longer allowed to wear your kilt or any of the things that went along with Highland dress, no weapons of any kind."

The director's take on it.

That was the note that I referenced from the programme. Despite these sentiments, I saw no evidence of This in the actual production.

[french frank]

That was the note that I referenced from the programme. Despite these sentiments, I saw no evidence of This in the actual production.

It was first produced in 1947, so I suppose the thinking is that Lerner was writing it in 1946. As the village only appears every 100 years, it would have made its first reappearance in 1846, which, if she had Googled, she would have found the Highland Potato Famine.

Any clues to that? :-) Or 1646 was the Dunoon Massacre ...

[richardfinegold]

It was first produced in 1947, so I suppose the thinking is that Lerner was writing it in 1946. As the village only appears every 100 years, it would have made its first reappearance in 1846, which, if she had Googled, she would have found the Highland Potato Famine.

Any clues to that? :-) Or 1646 was the Dunoon Massacre ...

Maybe some of our Scottish Foumites can be of assistance here...

[Stanley Stewart]

Apart from an instant affection for Brigadoon from my teenage years in the 1940s,
I still hoot when I recall Simon Callow's exclamation when he enters a ballroom celebration party in "Four Weddings & A Funeral" (1994) and sees a gathering of skirling kilted Jocks, - "It's bloody Brigadoon!" Ironically, it also turns out to be his own dance of death.

[Pabmusic]

...There was supposed to be some emphasis on Scottish resistance to what would now be referred to as "ethnic Cleansing" at the hands of the English…

Mmm … those awful English again. Yes it would now be seen as ethnic cleansing, but it was done by the British government, and many of the troops used were Scots, mainly lowlanders. Culloden was fought between Charles Stuart's army of highland Scots, Irish, French and even some English on one side; and the British army of English, Welsh, Scots (including some highlanders), Irish (from Ulster) and Germans on the other. George II was German, of course, as was the British commander, his son the Duke of Cumberland.

But if a movie is made of this, they'll all be English.

[That's got that off my chest, so I can say I like Brigadoon very much. ]

[richardfinegold]

Apart from an instant affection for Brigadoon from my teenage years in the 1940s,
I still hoot when I recall Simon Callow's exclamation when he enters a ballroom celebration party in "Four Weddings & A Funeral" (1994) and sees a gathering of skirling kilted Jocks, - "It's bloody Brigadoon!" Ironically, it also turns out to be his own dance of death.

I kept recalling that line to my companions.

[richardfinegold]

Mmm … those awful English again. Yes it would now be seen as ethnic cleansing, but it was done by the British government, and many of the troops used were Scots, mainly lowlanders. Culloden was fought between Charles Stuart's army of highland Scots, Irish, French and even some English on one side; and the British army of English, Welsh, Scots (including some highlanders), Irish (from Ulster) and Germans on the other. George II was German, of course, as was the British commander, his son the Duke of Cumberland.

But if a movie is made of this, they'll all be English.

[That's got that off my chest, so I can say I like Brigadoon very much. ]

What ever happened to the Scotch Independence movement? It doesn't get any attention on this side of the Pond...

[Richard Tarleton]

What ever happened to the Scotch Independence movement? It doesn't get any attention on this side of the Pond...

Referendum on Scottish independence on 14 September, richard. Polls currently suggest the "no" campaign (i.e. pro-union) is ahead.

[french frank]

Referendum on Scottish independence on 14 September, richard. Polls currently suggest the "no" campaign (i.e. pro-union) is ahead.

And off-topic: a very interesting technical analysis by Peter Kellner. But the only poll that counts is the one on the day - he could have a red face!

[mangerton]

Referendum on Scottish independence on 14 September, richard. Polls currently suggest the "no" campaign (i.e. pro-union) is ahead.

Thank you for correcting richardfinegold's misuse of "Scotch", Richard. We Scots dislike that intensely. "Scotch" is reserved in Scotland for foods like broth or eggs, though not for the drink, which we simply call "whisky". The polls do suggest the "no" campaign is ahead, though things are fluid and the lead appears to be diminishing. As so often, it depends what poll you look at! Who can say what the day (actually Thursday 18th September) will bring?

In any event, I have booked a day's leave for the 19th so that I can celebrate, or not, depending on the result.

[gradus]

Brigadoon has some wonderful songs and only two or three years since the memorable performance by Curtis Stigers of Heather on the Hill at the John Wilson MGM Prom, sadly no longer available on You Tube.