Brigadoon

I have seen Schmigadoon! on TV, but this was my first time seeing the classic musical, Brigadoon. Brigadoon originally opened on Broadway in 1947, and the last major revival on Broadway was 45 years ago in 1980.

Fans of classic Broadway musicals should enjoy this Village Theatre production, as it is overall high quality with a top notch cast with incredible vocals. A highlight for me was the costume design by Nanette Acosta. I also enjoyed the work of scenic designer Parmida Ziaei.

I had two recurring thoughts throughout this performance: (1) this cast is really good, and (2) this book is too dated and an odd programming choice. I really struggled with the pacing and the light story. Theatre has evolved so much since this show was created, and it seemed like the cast was working extra hard to make this show more than what the book offers. The bottom line is there are so many incredible plays and musicals to program, so why was this musical chosen in the first place? I left wishing I could see this cast perform in a more modern musical (or play) with better pacing and a deeper story. I also had the thought, what if this was someone’s first ever musical theatre experience? That patron would leave likely being impressed by the costumes and the quality of the music and vocals but perhaps thinking, “theatre just isn’t for me.” Every programming choice needs to think about a first-time theatre goer and the opportunity cost of what other show could have gone in this slot.

While there will certainly be a target audience for folks who love 78 year old musicals, and again, this is a quality production, I just do not see enough of an audience existing for the length of this run, especially given the competition of more powerful stories running at the other theatre venues in Seattle. Village Theatre has a special place in my heart, and it makes me sad to see head scratching programming where I now likely will not return again this season. I hope Village Theatre can put new thought and energy into its programming strategy for 2026-27, as this is such an important venue for local artists.

See more show reviews from 2025.