Review of ‘Brigadoon’ (Regent’s Open Air Theatre 2025): “World War II-reframed revival puts audiences through a battle of opinions”

The venue closes its 2025 season with the first London return in 35 years of Lerner and Loewe’s high-romance piece, featuring a redraft by Rona Munro. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show to let us know if this new take on the classic is still magical enough to make viewers feel almost like being in love.

Love, love changes everything, and whatever else Don Black thinks it does. The truth is that, when it comes to musical theatre, there always seems to be some extra room available for the affairs of the heart. Why shouldn’t there be? It’s a language that this genre understands so perfectly. And so, this week has witnessed the return of Loewe and Lerner’s literal reading of the term “love fantasy”. For those unfamiliar with the piece, it takes place in a magical land that awakens to a new century every day.

It’s a classic that not just a few musical theatre aficionados have been begging to see back onstage for a long time — here in London alone, the wait has kept rising to the charming sum of 35 years (almost as long as trying to arrange an appointment with your local GP). Some may see its comeback as unjustified, considering the piece an inferior effort to the duo’s other titles. But let’s be fair, ladies — it’s still an accomplished work featuring one of the most lavish, melodiously rich scores of its time. And though there might be (and there are) some key shortcomings in its writing, an essential part of them stems from its latest reboot.

We still get the Scottish Highlands and all that it implies, including a peculiar array of meandering accents throughout the performance. But this time, the New York buddies hiking across the countryside have been replaced by a couple of stranded American pilots wounded after the war. As they await rescue, they start to hear the bewitching chanting of the Brigadoon villagers, as the enchanted town suddenly unfolds before their eyes — making us question through the recount if what we’re seeing is real or just a product of their agonising delusions.

It’s a slight variation on the premise, which, however, makes a greater difference as a framing device. It leads to a stronger initial engagement, and its themes of love and the pursuit of true happiness and purpose in life acquire a more resonant undertone. The problem, though, is that neither the direction nor the rest of its new writing can take advantage of its possibilities.

Beautifully staged but not so deftly delivered, Brigadoon seems to have made an emergency landing at Regent’s Open Air Theatre, leaving a similar sense of scepticism as what its protagonists go through upon discovering the promised land. It may be arresting to the eye. Yet, a mild feeling of something not being quite right persists throughout.

The reason lies in the incongruence of its elements. Though every number is an absolute treat to the ears, masterfully pulling on the heartstrings, the narrative structure comes off as flawed on many levels. On the whole, unbalanced, the first half comes across as overexpositional, with little else to offer apart from its continuous remarks on the wonders of enamourment. Eventually, the action takes off, but at such a rushed cadence that Act Two can’t help but wrap everything in distressing haste, with its new ending feeling sentimentally flavourless due to its lack of pacing.

There’s not enough space for pathos either, despite the script’s continuous attempts to let it materialise. Drew McOnie’s guidance may be responsible for that effect (or lack thereof), with several scenes working better on paper than their portrayals. The interruption of Maggie’s comic relief during Act Two, set up to accentuate the emotional catharsis of the story, fails to achieve its goal. It triggers some minor poignancy, but a latent sensation of sterility lingers throughout.

Basia Bińkowska’s design, reminiscent of last year’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, is undoubtedly the big winner of the night. Wooden decks and ramps, combined with muddled stones, cascades and a flowery rooftop, compose the tale’s universe — seamlessly integrated with the venue’s ambience. Its striking appearance is only surpassed by its theatrical efficiency, allowing for a dynamic flow that zigzags between the oneiric and the cinematic.

McOnie’s folk-based choreography gives the show a pulse, but its enticement takes too long to erupt, starting on too safe a point and needing an excessive warm-up to bloom. Yet, its execution is spotless, as is most of the singing.

In that department, Georgina Onuorah makes the most praiseworthy contribution through her impeccable vocals in the lead role of Fiona. Yet, there’s no solid chemistry with her co-star Louis Gaunt, whose rendition of Tommy doesn’t flaunt too much polish either musically or acting-wise. Cavan Clarke’s appearance as co-lead Jeff Douglas is delightfully funny, evenly matched by Chrissy Brooke’s interpretation as Maggie. Yet, Anne Lacey’s portrayal of Lundie feels robotic and unrefined, trying to evoke the personage’s mystique, but unfortunately depriving them of it through a rather clunky approach.

Reconnecting audiences with a charming tale narrated through an endless list of old-time anthems but unable to fix its issues, and subsequently, enlarging them, Regent’s Park’s Open Air’s revival of Brigadoon is still an enjoyable, entertaining feast for those looking for a nostalgic journey across the sound of Broadway’s Golden Age. Yet, its undercooked revision is likely to leave most viewers with an unresolved taste of what it could have been. It has some strokes of brilliance, but in the current landscape, the entire picture won’t feel to many as the heather on the hill.

All pictures credit to Mark Senior.

Brigadoon plays at London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 20 September. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara