Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

It was a pleasure to see this rarely performed classic musical. I suspect that the large number of principals, particularly men, makes it difficult for many societies to stage. The production from start to finish was well paced and full of energy. The pairings of the Pontipee brothers with their ‘brides’ worked perfectly and each pairing was believable because of the ‘chemistry’ between them.

The brothers were led by Connor Brooks (Adam) and his stage presence, singing and acting ensured that we all knew that he was in charge. Lucy Lacey (Milly) did the same for the brides. The feistiness of her character and her vulnerability were very well portrayed by Lucy as she, also, demonstrated her vocal talents. The ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ of their relationship were perfectly documented as the story unfolded.

The brothers, Ben Green (Benjamin), Cameron Morgan (Caleb), Ben Adams (Daniel), Will Bourn (Ephraim), Adam Gregory (Frank) and Connor Bacon (Gideon) brought their individual characters to life but also worked together perfectly as a team. Their harmony singing was a delight as was the amount of energy they put into their routines. They also changed their rough hill farmers view of life and women to a respect for both as the story progressed. They were well matched by the brides, Charlotte Jervis (Dorcas), Megan Lambert (Ruth), Jemma Tiso-Johnson (Liza), Shannon Robinson (Martha), Kathryn Lane (Sarah) and Carys Wilson (Alice). Once again there was the individuality combined with teamwork. Singing and harmonies were again a delight. The change in characters of the brides developed throughout as they went from the horror of being kidnapped to the realisation that life wasn’t too bad after all.

The rest of the cast all played a major part in the story telling and I wish that there was space to mention you all.

The choreography was slick, innovative and well executed. I was impressed how it was used to cover up the fact that there wasn’t the same number of suiters as brothers so well done for that.

The production team together with the cast had worked hard to ensure that the characters were spot on and were well maintained through the whole performance.

The production was supported by an excellent orchestra, good lighting and sound plus colourful period costumes. I also liked the set and the movement of it between the scenes although, at one point, one of the trucks seemed to have a mind of its own.

Congratulations, well done and thank you for bringing this musical to life. The interesting fact, for me, is that it was first produced some 30 years after the film on which it is based.

 

 

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