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.
Community
Related Photos
Related Links
Discussion
‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ has wit, wisdom
Beef & Boards production is an old-fashioned musical
- Community
-
-
New perspective: AHS students serve and learn
Seniors in the Anderson High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes have been heading over to the Christian Center on Main Street once a month to serve lunch.
-
Jim Bailey: Build a better sneaker and you'll probably get sued
People who are gullible enough to fall for colorful and appealing advertising campaigns have an out: Sue the illegitimati.
-
Community Briefs: May 30
A compilation of community news as published in the Wednesday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
-
Jim Bailey: Jim Carter made football a respectable sport at AHS
When I first came to Anderson in 1951, Jim Carter had been named head football coach at Anderson High School. At that time, football at AHS was little more than an activity to get out of the way to make room for basketball season. The Indians were known to play two games in the same week to shorten the season.
-
Community Briefs: May 27
A compilation of community news as published in the Sunday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
-
Remember When: May 27
The slide was one of the more popular attractions at the Falls Park swimming area in Pendleton as evidenced by the number of people waiting their turn on the slide’s steps and its top platform.
-
Champions League makes everyone a winner
The Champions League — in its 12th season — is sponsored by the Pendleton Junior Baseball Association and is open to anyone 5 to 18 with physical and developmental disabilities.
-
History: Lapel Telephone Co. was talk of town
In November 1962, when the Lapel Telephone Co. was sold to United Utilities by the children of founder Earl Tull, a Madison County era ended.
-
Back in the News: May 27
The Herald Bulletin looks back at stories from the Anderson Daily Bulletin and The Anderson Herald newspapers.
-
A dream cabin in the woods
Phil Hatter regularly told his children that once they were all grown, he would build a log cabin in the country. They didn’t believe him. “I think log homes are really neat, but they have to be put in the right place,” he said.
- More Community Headlines
-
