The original Brigadoon was performed on stage in 1947, just after the second World War.  It was a time of hardship and mending, a time of increased industrialism when changes occurred quickly and irrevocably--a perfect setting for a musical that harkens back to a simpler, purer existence.

The story opens with two postwar American hunters, Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas, who lose their way while wandering through the foggy countryside of the Scottish Highlands. As the eerie mist disappears, the two men find themselves in the midst of a bucolic village. To all appearances, a friendly, welcoming town, the village of Brigadoon is nonetheless a little strange. There are no telephones, street lights or motor cars. The townspeople dress in a style all their own and refuse to accept American money.

As the visitors get to know (and, in some cases, love) the inhabitants of this curious village stuck in time, they become more ingrained in the everyday goings-on than they would have imagined.  And, without meaning to, they challenge the spell of Brigadoon and threaten to alter the future of its inhabitants.

The original book and lyrics were written by Alan Jay Lerner, with music by seasoned composer Frederick Loewe. Brigadoon features one of Broadway's most magnificent and popular scores, including such songs as "Almost Like Being in Love," "Heather on the Hill," "Waitin' for My Dearie" and "From This Day On."

With ballet-like dancing in the style of Agnes de Mille, Brigadoon appealed to the sensibilities of the '40s. A romantic, highly moral piece, the musical seems at first like the town of Brigadoon itself -- relegated to a distant past.  But Brigadoon has proven its timelessness through the years.

The original book by Lerner was actually based on a 19th century German short story, ironically enough, and follows the conventional sequence of a Shangri-la-type romance.  Many shows of the era followed a familiar theme, but few with as much success as Brigadoon.  As an audience, we're much more cynical now than in the '40s and '50s, but underneath all that cynicism there is an interest in the romantic. This is everybody's story.  Though Brigadoon has been performed for more than 50 years, the show has lost none of its appeal.

It may be an old-fashioned tale of love and loss, but the roles in Brigadoon are nonetheless relevant to a '90s audience.  For example, Fiona MacLaren is a citizen of Brigadoon who has been waiting for more than 200 years to meet the love of her life.  A strong female character, Fiona catches the interest of Tommy but realizes that to be with him would mean breaking the spell of Brigadoon. This is a tale of a woman's independence.  Fiona is fiercely independent.  She'd rather wait than take a chance on just any man, and that was pretty unheard-of in the 1940s.