THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM
June 6 – 29, 2008
Music – Robert Waldman
Book and Lyrics – Alfred Uhry
Adapted from a novella by Eudora Welty
Set in eighteenth century Mississippi, this bawdy fairy tale is the story of Rosamund, the only daughter of the country’s richest planter, courted by Jamie Lockhart, the dashing robber of the woods. The proceedings go awry, thanks to an unconventional case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund’s demise, her pea-brained henchman and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have the recipe for a rollicking country romp with an infectious bluegrass score!
Director / Choreographer – Steven Meerdink
Musical Director – Kevin Hansen
Scenic Designer – Andrea Heilman
Costumes – Theatrical Costume Company
Costume Coordinator – Bart Ruf
Light Designer – Ryan DeLaCroix
Rehearsal Accompanist – Emily Hanson
Stage Manager – Sarah Bauer
Set Construction – Jay Schueller & Carl M. Schoenborn
Dance Captain – Catherine Battocletti
Cast
Jamie Lockhart – Patrick Morgan
Rosamund – Jamie Dix
Salome – Karen Wiese-Thompson
Clemment Musgrove – Michael Fischetti
Little Harp – Carl M. Schoenborn
Goat – C. Ryan Shipley
Big Harp / Ensemble – Christian Unser
Goat’s Mother / Ensemble – Lori Maxwell
Airie / Ensemble – Crystal Manik
Raven / Ensemble – Catherine Battocletti
Ensemble – Shaun Nathan Baer
Ensemble – Melissa Hall
Ensemble – Darren T. Hensel
Ensemble – Jeff Huset
Ensemble – Mariya Maragos
Ensemble – Jessica Nievinski
Ensemble – Paul Whittemore
Musicians
Emily Hanson (Keyboard)
Kristen Sammartano (Fiddle)
Colin Monette (Guitar)
Kellie Nitz (Bass)
Reviews and Quotes
“Made of square dancing and bluegrass music, dirty jokes and sexual innuendo, the show is uproarious. Director Steven Meerdink has assembled a high-energy ensemble of townsfolk, presented in spilling corsets, bankers’ vests and cowboy boots. Whether hoofing about the stage or two-stepping the theater’s perimeter, these singers are a constant source of hooting, hollering and full-throttle, surround-sound singing. The venue is small, and their voices un-amplified, so this makes for the intimacy of a barn dance. It looks like a barn dance, too. A simple set (by Andrea Heilman) is scattered with wooden barrels and ropes. A bluegrass quartet sits high above the stage in a rough-hewn loft. The best performance is Wiese-Thompson as Salome, a whip-smart character, to be sure, but so ugly she causes bullfrogs to have heart attacks. Dressed in a clashing dress of purple, blue and orange, and with a large mole penciled on her cheek, Wiese-Thompson fearlessly inhabits this smack-talking, “prickle pear” of a woman. “If you don’t come home with an apron full of herbs, you’ll find your butt up between your shoulder blades,” she tells Rosamund with a deliciously wicked drawl. Another standout: With a missing front tooth, a shock of hair standing straight on his head and the practiced repose of a doofus, performer C. Ryan Shipley is so funny as Goat, the village idiot, the audience doubles over at the mere sight of him. In fact, this bawdy musical is the best, most unfiltered, piece of escapism to come along in a long while.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press
“Set in the deep south along the Natchez Trace sometime in the early days of the country, The Robber Bridegroom features outlaws, disguised maidens, a conniving stepmother, an idiot helper and a living head in a box. Uhry’s script accents the humor, and Waldman’s music flies with catchy, southern and country-tinged tunes. A large cast, led by Patrick Morgan as the titular character and Jamie Dix as the somewhat love of his life, Rosamund, take pleasure in every wild moment of the show, and that becomes infectious for the audience. The Robber Bridegroom is the last show MMT will produce at the Hennepin Stages theater (the company is moving a few blocks down Hennepin Avenue to the Illusion Theater space in the fall) and they send out their longtime home—one that has served the company well for several years—in style.” – TalkinBroadway.com
“Meerdink’s direction is clever enough to keep the work engaging, making creative use of even the simplest elements. He creates moments of real stage magic, like the head in a box that opens up all over the stage. As the title character, Patrick Morgan demonstrates raw sexual appeal and a dashing leading-man charisma. Karen Wiese-Thompson, as Rosamund’s wicked stepmother, virtually steals the show with her delicious portrayal of a voracious harridan. The simple sets by Andrea Heilman and costumes by Bart Ruf are evocative, not only of the time and place, but of the spirit of the piece.” – MinneapolisStar Tribune