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Artlandish: Weekend Arts Calendar
Is there a greater partnership in Houston than Theatre Under the Stars and the Hobby Center? The Hobby Center is the ideal venue in every way, and TUTS, since its founding in 1968, has produced more than 275 spectacular musicals -- with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers being no exception. An outrageously talented cast, genius choreography, beautiful scenery, and delightful music come together to make this show one not to be missed.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a feel-good musical set in 1850s Oregon. Adam (Edward Watts), a hard-headed, rugged mountain man, marries Milly (Michelle Dawson), a strong, spunky, and stubborn young lady, and carts her off to his cabin to take care of his six unruly brothers. It's not exactly the romantic life that Milly imagined, but she learns to love the family she's married into and manages to teach the brothers a thing or two about "courting" so they can find wives of their own at the next town social. The hapless clan runs into trouble when the girls they fall in love with are already spoken for, and a veritable dance-off ensues. Instead of abiding by the traditional wooing methods they learned from Milly, the boys, inspired by Adam's misinterpretation of a Roman myth, decide to kidnap their beloveds (and the parson) to take them back home and marry them. Having forgotten the parson and with an avalanche of snow separating their home from the town, Milly relegates the boys to the barn for the winter while she and the girls stay in the house. Songs about life, love, and sexual frustration bide their time as the girls learn to love the brothers and try to come up with a plan to remain with them in the spring. Of course, all ends well in a finale that includes a seven-bride wedding.
The show itself was a product of the perfect mix of the standard elements of every musical. Of course there was campy comedy, but on the whole, it was funny, not contrived. The singing was near-flawless and, as we overheard one patron telling her friend on the other end of a phone call during intermission, the dancing was phenomenal. Often eliciting spontaneous rounds of applause from the audience, the actors showed off their dancing skills in a number of scenes. The flips, leaps, and complicated dance moves, complemented beautifully by their costumes, demonstrated the talent of the cast and of Patti Colombo, the show's Emmy-nominated choreographer. The music, including the familiar songs from the 1954 movie and several new ones, was beautiful on the instrumental and vocal sides. The new songs and several other differences discouraged comparison to the Oscar-winning movie. The powerful voices of the leads truly shone, especially in "Love Never Goes Away," featuring Watts, Dawson, and Christian Delacroix, who played Gideon, the youngest brother.
The talents of the cast and the creative team collude in this show to create a riveting, fun show for the whole family. With just the right touches of emotion, laughter, and with fabulous chemistry among the cast, Seven Brides is a mirthful, fun musical that lives up to its promise of a "rip-roaring good time" for everyone.
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