Acting Their Age? No Way

When youth theater groups are looking at plays that will suit their young performers as well as attract audiences, the selections are comparatively limited. Every once in a while one of these groups takes a chance.

That appears to be what Fullerton Children’s Repertory Theater has done in picking Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s “Brigadoon” for their company, whose oldest members are in the eighth grade.

“Brigadoon”--with its themes of jealousy, death, disenchantment with society and a love strong enough to make a miracle happen--is not a kids’ play. The characters are not sleeping princesses, cowardly lions or circus folk. They are real people with strong physical and emotional needs, even though the fantasy plot deals with a village that only appears, under a miraculous spell, every hundred years.

It’s a very good choice. Teenagers know more than we usually give them credit for, even in their early adolescence. The kids in this production, under the joint direction of Alberta Strey and Vicki Schindele, certainly do. (There are two casts, the Yellow Cast and this one, the Green. The Green performs the show once more on Friday night.)

“Brigadoon” requires a huge cast, and for the most part the young performers conduct themselves admirably. They are dead serious about what they’re doing. They have realistic insights into Lerner’s intent in his book and his lyrics, and generally their treatment of the songs is impressive, particularly in the large choral numbers such as the title song.

The staging is exemplary on a set (designed by Ed Huber) that is more realistic than the original Broadway set.

The many Scottish dances, choreographed by Donna Bell, are outstanding in the young actors’ precise execution. The Scottish dialects are impeccable.

There are several actors who stand out, making the audience forget that their ages don’t match their roles. They are Chris Lee as Archie Beaton, David Anderson as Mr. MacLaren, Alexis Nahhas as Jean MacLaren, Eric Johnson and April Ulloa as the wise old Lundies and, particularly, Ryan Parkinson as the bitter, jealousy-torn Harry Beaton, who is willing to destroy the village of Brigadoon if he can’t have his Jean.

The wry comic flair of Patrick Jones as Jeff Douglas, hero Tommy Albright’s best friend, would be noteworthy even in a much older actor.

Todd Schindele has a maturity and depth as Tommy that overrides the fact that his voice is not quite powerful enough to match the glowing soprano of Carly Shepard’s Fiona.

As randy Meg Brockie, Julie Perkins breathes life and not a little fire into her renditions of “The Love of My Life” and “My Mother’s Wedding Day.”

*

Special note has to be made of the performance of Aaron Braunstein as Charlie Dalrymple, who sings and dances both “I’ll Go Home With Bonnie Jean” and “Come to Me, Bend to Me” with professional polish and a clarion voice that, with maturity, could lead to a career. And it’s nice to hear “Come to Me” in its original setting, before Andrew Lloyd Webber borrowed the melody for “Music of the Night.”

Adults who stage musicals might look in on this production over the weekend. Even they might pick up a few tricks.

* “Brigadoon,” Fullerton Union High School, 201 E. Chapman Ave. Friday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., also Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Ends Saturday. $6. (714) 671-1084. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Todd Schindele: Tommy Albright

Patrick Jones: Jeff Douglas

Carly Shepard: Fiona MacLaren

Aaron Braunstein: Charlie Dalrymple

Ryan Parkinson: Harry Beaton

Julie Perkins: Meg Brockie

Eric Johnson: Mr. Lundie

April Ulloa: Mrs. Lundie

Chris Lee: Archie Beaton

David Anderson: Mr. MacLaren

Alexis Nahhas: Jean MacLaren

A Fullerton Children’s Repertory Theater production of the Lerner and Loewe classic. Directed by Alberta Strey and Vicki Schindele. Scenic design: Ed Huber. Choreography: Donna Bell. Costume design: Beverly Shirk. Stage managers: Micah Markley and Jason Lythgoe.