QUEANBEYAN Players have built their reputation in presenting unsophisticated, proudly amateur productions of popular musicals and operettas.

So if you’re expecting magical transformations and misty glens, forget it. This “Brigadoon”, directed by Greg Wallace, is a rather Spartan affair presented mostly in front of a backdrop depicting Canadian redwood pines, with other scenes performed in front of black drapes with basic set-pieces.

This most delicate of musicals is a fantasy about two young Americans who, while hiking in the Scottish highlands, discover a mystical village called Brigadoon which appears for just one day every 100 years.

For this, its third production of “Brigadoon” over the years, Queanbeyan Players has assembled a large cast headed by Gerard Ninnes and Paul Jackson, both excellent as the two Americans. Among the inhabitants of Brigadoon, Alyssa Morse is a lovely Fiona singing prettily and acting with sincerity, and Janet Tweedie is delightfully feisty as Meg. Playing Charlie, handsome Charles Hudson was inexplicably unamplified for his important tenor solos. Phil Perman is excellent as Mr Murdoch, and Peter Smith and Rob Grice add gravitas to the other senior roles.

The gorgeous Lerner and Lowe score is, for the main, well sung by the company, accompanied by an impressive 28-piece orchestra conducted by Jenny Groom,. Even if your preference is towards a more ethereal presentation, this production still provides a welcome opportunity to revisit this classic Lerner and Lowe musical.

Charles Hudson as Charlie, in the Queanbeyan Players’ “Brigadoon”. Photo by Rebecca Doyle Photography