INDIANAPOLIS — Six frisky young men kidnap six women and hold them captive on the snow-capped Oregon frontier.
A massive case of Stockholm syndrome sets in and the ensuing spring melts both the ice and their hearts.
It’s preposterous, of course, but no more so than people speaking in song. And it’s the kind of romantic conceit that suits an old-fashioned musical.
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” will play through Oct. 4 at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis.
The musical was adapted from the 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning short story, “The Sobbin’ Women,” by Steven Vincent Benet. But fans of musical theater may be more familiar with MGM’s Oscar-winning 1954 film adaptation starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell.
In 1850s Oregon, there are “10 men for every women.” Nevertheless, Adam (played by Tony Lawson) sets out to find a wife. His new bride, Milly, must adjust to life with Adam’s six brothers, who soon develop their own nuptial itch.
On film, Keel’s Adam is more sullen and brooding than Lawson’s, who plays the role with a broad charm and almost an ignorant swagger. That leaves Krista Severeid’s Milly to provide the emotional center of the story, and she delivers the show’s best performance. After the sudden joy of her marriage, she is hurt by Adam’s deceit, then begins to relish her nurturing role in their non-traditional family.
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” moves at a brisk pace. Adam resolves to marry and is engaged before the end of the first scene. Once he brings Milly home, it takes her just one song to civilize the brothers. That song, “Goin’ Courtin’” is the early highlight of the show, and its exuberance will conquer any audience resistance.
The dance hall scene ups the ante, with six brides, six brothers and six rival suitors all dancing on the same stage in a tight choreography by Ron Morgan. A table-top dancing sequence makes the scene all the more riveting. Sam Weber as Gideon shows off some nimble moves as he leaps over an ax handle.
Weber rises to the top of the supporting cast. In Gideon’s pursuit of Alice (Anderson University graduate Kristen Noonan, making her debut), and as a messenger between Adam and Milly, he becomes the baby brother capable of sage advice — with words and fists. Anthony Majewski is charismatic as brother Benjamin and Teresa Diehl is flitty and flirty as Ruth.
The stage set is appropriately skeletal. It’s almost all brown wood with a framed doorway to the brothers’ farmhouse capable of transforming into a general store, tavern and dance hall. Two wheels turning on a stationary wagon simulate travel effectively.
As in most Beef & Boards productions, the tiny stage pushes the action out in the gallery, with townsfolk darting through the aisles and brawls spilling into the front row.
Benet’s story was based on the Roman myth “The Rape of the Sabine Women.” And while the setup of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” requires the suspension of disbelief, the story contains real-life relationship lessons.
Adam and Milly must contend with disappointment, unreasonable expectations and disillusionment. In the process, they gain something more valuable than a fleeting romance.
It can’t be mere coincidence that Lawson and Severeid plan to marry after the show closes. That would be preposterous.
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‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ has wit, wisdom
Beef & Boards production is an old-fashioned musical
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