It took me two visits to get to see this right through; on Wednesday, we hadn’t even Gone Courtin’ before rain stopped play. Boy am I glad I went back, on what turned out to be a glorious Friday evening. This is such fun.
They probably didn’t blink an eye at the dubious sexual politics when the film came out in 1954. Some might have been a touch offended by the sexism and misogyny when it hit the stage in 1982. Today it just seems nostalgic for less politically correct times and all in fun!
Adam’s courtship of Milly lasts an implausible five minutes. He’s come to town to do some trade and bags himself a wife while he’s at it. He doesn’t tell her about his six brothers though, so when she finds out their marriage gets off to a rocky start, but Milly soon sets about civilising the uncouth mob, coaching them in courtship and taking them to the town dance where each is fancied by a girl, much to the consternation of the local lads. Girls is sparse in these lands.
Back home’ pining for their new loved ones, Adam suggests that the boys kidnap them. When they return with their hostages, Milly kicks off, resulting in Adam heading off to spend the winter in the hills. By spring, the girls are intent on staying, but the townsfolk turn up with other ideas. A clever ruse ensures the girls get their guys and Adam and Mlliy are reconciled, with an addition to the family, in time for the customary happy ending.
The stage is surrounded by trees (extra ones supplementing the real ones), on which designer Peter Mackintosh has placed two large buildings which transform from town square shops to home & barn brilliantly. Director Rachel Kavanagh uses the auditorium to great effect, with a coup d’theatre in the second half. Gareth Valentine’s new orchestrations are terrific and the band sounds great. It’s lovely to see two favourites like Alex Gaumond and Laura Pitt-Pulford in the lead roles and they both deliver with bells on. The large ensemble is uniformly excellent.
The Open Air Theatre again proves its versatility, turning itself into Oregon for a right old hoedown. Last week. Don’t miss!
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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