Scotland comes to Liberty

Student production of Brigadoon musical shows at Tower Theater Feb. 19-28

Bagpipes filled the air as dancers leapt across the stage, clad in plaid sashes. Fog filled the area as a booming Scottish voice rang out. Though it might seem like it, this is not Scotland — it is the Tower Theater’s Liberty University production of Brigadoon.

Opening Feb. 19 and running until Feb. 28, Brigadoon tells the story of a town in the Scottish marshes, which only appears once every 100 years. While the story is set in 1940, the townspeople of Brigadoon are still stuck in 1742. When two New Yorkers discover the magical town, they find themselves on a journey full of mystery and romance.

The style of the musical mixes Celtic influences alongside modern ballet dancing. With multiple styles of dance, the choreography was noted as “astounding” by freshman Kiera Smith.

“It really is a beautiful, classic musical with a timeless feel,” Smith said.

After many weeks of hard preparation, the cast members can finally showcase their work. Brigadoon is an academic performance, which means it is separate from the Alluvion Stage Company and comprised solely of Liberty students.

After seeing the musical, senior Liz Bagley gave the production high praise.

“It’s amazing,” Bagley said. “The dancing in it is fantastic, they’ve worked so hard … they did a fantastic job.”

Similarly, sophomore Amos Barkhouse was impressed by the choreography the dancers mastered. Dance numbers incorporated props alongside multiple dance styles, such as the combination of Irish dancing and swordplay.

“They pulled out swords, and they danced over them … it was really neat,” Barkhouse said.

Around him, other students enthusiastically agreed.

Opening weekend, the mood in the Tower Theater lobby after the show was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees, from students to professors, were buzzing with praise for the performance.

“I want to go back and be there in Brigadoon,” Liberty Online professor David Sosin said. “I felt pulled there, it was so lovely.”

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Senior Elaina Gomez-Palazzo has been in four theatre shows at Liberty, and though she was not in Brigadoon, she could see the hard work that was put into creating the musical.

“They put so much work and effort and heart into this, and it’s always worth coming out and seeing the show,” Gomez-Palazzo said.

An Instagram-centered promotion will post every week of the show’s run. Students can upload photos using the hashtag, #BrigadoonLU. As Brigadoon is a peaceful place, students can submit a photo of wherever their own “Brigadoon” is. The winner will receive two tickets to see Brigadoon at the Tower Theater.

Brigadoon will have both matinee and evening showings throughout its run. Ticketing information can be found in the myLU ticket portal.

Brigadoon will run two matinee shows Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. The show will also run Feb. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

MOYER is a feature reporter.

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