Waukon High School to present "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" musical November 3-5

The Waukon High School music department has selected "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as this year's musical production. Three performances are being planned for Thursday through Saturday, November 3-5 at the Waukon High School auditorium.  Curtain time for all performances is at 7 p.m.

Bursting with the rambunctious energy of the original Academy Award winning 1954 MGM film, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is all boisterous fun and romance, a truly rollicking adventure, which teaches that it takes a bride to turn seven unshaven, unkempt brothers into manly gentlemen and to turn desire into romance. Set in Oregon in 1850, Seven "Brides for Seven Brothers" tells the story of a backwoodsman named Adam Pontipee (played by Adam Gruman), who comes into town to search for a bride.

After being laughed at by the owners of the town's general store, he goes out in search of a wife. He comes upon the local tavern where he meets Milly (played by Katelyn Leiran). Convinced of her worth by the quality of her cooking and her insistence on finishing her chores before she would leave with him, he proposes and she accepts despite knowing each other for only a few hours.

On the journey home, Milly talks about how she is excited to be cooking and taking care of only one man, visibly upsetting Adam. When they arrive at his cabin in the mountains, Milly is surprised to learn that Adam is one of seven brothers living under the same roof. The brothers have been named alphabetically from the Old Testament and in chronological order are: Adam (Adam Gruman), Benjamin (Matt Hoins), Caleb (Mike Benson), Daniel (Sean Liddiard), Ephraim (Micah Treptau), Frank - short for Frankincense since the Old Testament has no names beginning with F, (Dolan Jones), and Gideon (Nathan Smith). Milly's plan to civilize and marry off her six rowdy brothers-in-law to ensure the success of her own marriage backfires when the brothers, in their enthusiasm, kidnap six women from a neighboring town for brides.

Additional cast includes the brides, Dorcus (Erika Johnson), Ruth (Kaia Johaningmeier), Martha (Carley Sweeney), Liza (Emily Kolsrud), Sarah (Grace Blocker) and Alice (Matti Pladsen); the suitors, Nathan Liddiard, Lane Grotegut, Steven Shogren, Aislin Goettel, Olivia Rathbone and Morgan Van Ruler; Mrs. Hoallum (Heidi Dougherty), Mrs. Sander (Oonagh Ahouse), Preacher (Aaron Sherman) and Mr. Bixby (Dalon Troendle). Chorus members include Emily Brown, Allie Sletten, Layke Byrnes, Miciah Dotzler, Lizzie McQuade, Madi Marti, Brianna Bedore, Gabbie Power, Brigid Berns, Emma Roe, Katelyn Monroe, Cassie Schellsmidt and Faith Palmer.

Managing the stage sets will be the crew of Emily Brown, Ashton Farley, Emma Roe, Holly Bosley, Andrew Mellick, Nicole Campbell, Dani Stock, Teddy Holtaus, Mian Bahr and Abby Brainard. Lights and sound are controlled by Tyler O'Neill, Brady Beyer and Meghan O'Neill.

Directors Sarah Palmer and Louse Wild have been working with the cast and crew since August to bring this musical production to community members. The original music was arranged by Saul Chaplin and Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and includes the songs "Wonderful, Wonderful Day", "Bless Your Beautiful Hide", "Goin' Courtin'", "When You're in Love", "Sobbin' Women" and others.

The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Fances Goodrich and Dorothy Kingsley, is based on the short story "The Sobbin' Women" by Stephen Vincent Benet. In 2006, the American Film Institute named "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as one of the best American musical films ever made.

To reserve tickets, contact Brenda Dougherty at 563-568-7997 or e-mail waukonmusical@live.com.