It was with great excitement that the Opera House opened its door to the brand new re-staged version of one of the best loved MGM musicals of all time, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers this week.
With whoops and cheers from the audience when Adam Pontipee played by 2011 Dancing on Ice winner and Ex-Eastender, Sam Attwater arrived on stage it’s clear this audience are here for a good time. We follow Adam (Attwater) the eldest of seven brothers as he heads down from the mountains of Oregon into town to find himself a bride.It’s here we’re first introduced to Milly (Helena Blackman) another familiar face after she was the runner-up in BBC1’s 2006 reality show, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? The first few scenes are a little slow but things soon pick up once Adam takes his bride Milly up to the cabin and introduces both her and us, the audience into the mayhem that is the Pontipee’s world.
Director and Choreographer Patti Colombo has created a show that perfectly suits the hardworking and eager cast…
Blackman makes a fine Milly, sassy and smart with a stunning voice, she soon has control of the unruly Pontipee clan. Attwater looks the part but his vocals aren’t quite strong enough for the role, he is however supported by a tremendously hard working band of brothers whose enthusiasm and energy is infectious. The dancing is a delight, beautifully choreographed and excellently executed with a thrilling gymnastic element adding to the fun.
Director and Choreographer Patti Colombo has created a show that perfectly suits the hardworking and eager cast, several of whom are very recent graduates from drama school. This energy stretches as far as Anna Louizos’ set design, whole pine forests slide across the stage with ease; log cabins descend from above whilst an avalanche engulfs the stage keeping the stolen maidens, (who will eventually become the seven brides) up in the mountains until at least the spring.
Elizabeth Dennis’s costumes beautifully replicate those of the original 1954 film with the brothers made more easily distinguished in their different coloured shirts and the brides multiple layers of petticoats adding visually to the more energetic of the dance routines.
The show is fun, entertaining and very well received by the audience. Special cheers were saved for Jack Greaves who played the ever so sweet baby brother Gideon and Sam Stones whose comedic performance of Frank stole a fair few scenes. This is a great production of an old classic, the energy of the cast is admirable, a wonderfully heart-warming evening of entertainment.
