Mr. Bean is back
Actor makes a Reprise! reprise with his starring role in 'Brigadoon'

By Jeff Favre
August 12, 2004

Would anybody show up? Would the entire theater be empty? These were the thoughts running through Orson Bean's brain almost three years ago as he stood in the wings at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, where he was starring in the Reprise! production of "1776." It was the week of Sept. 11, 2001, and Bean knew that the nation's collective appetite for entertainment had been seriously sapped. Broadway, in fact, lost several new and long-running shows because tourists and natives steered clear.

Bean was relieved when the theater finally began to fill up, and he was blown away at how wild the audience went when he and the rest of the "1776" cast took the stage.

The patriotic show, in which Bean played Ben Franklin, resonated perhaps more than it ever had before. And afterward, the actors joined in singing "God Bless America" while patrons gave generously to the Fireman's Relief Fund.

Bean has been thinking a lot lately about those post- 9/11 performances, as has Marcia Seligson, who founded Reprise! Broadway's Best, the company that for seven years has staged short runs of critically acclaimed -- but rarely produced -- musicals.

The company's eighth season opens next week with the Scottish fairy tale "Brigadoon," and it marks Bean's return to Reprise!

"I was just thinking about '1776' while watching the (Democratic National) Convention," Seligson said. "The audiences were literally throwing money at us. The actors were picking up $1, $5, $100 bills that were thrown on stage. No one knew what else to do, but they wanted to help in some way."

Bean concurred. "I'd never seen anything like it. We raised 25 grand in one week."

There won't be a fund-raiser this time, but if the past several seasons are any indication, chances are good "Brigadoon" will be a critical and commercial success.

Seligson chose "Brigadoon" because Reprise! had never tipped its hat to the team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, best known for "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." With its premiere in 1947, "Brigadoon" was their third collaboration and first hit.

Lerner's story concerns a pair of American tourists, Tommy and Jeff, who while visiting Scotland stumble on a village that magically appears only one day every 100 years. Tommy immediately falls in love with Fiona. The leading love interests will be portrayed by husband and wife Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie, who recently finished a run at the Pasadena Playhouse in "110 in the Shade."

Bean's role is Mr. Lundie, a wise old man from the mysterious town.

The song list for "Brigadoon" includes "Almost Like Being in Love," "The Heather On the Hill," "Come to Me, Bend to Me" and "From This Day On."

"It's such a strange little show that people don't know well," Bean said. "But when they hear the songs, they'll say, 'Oh, so that's where this came from.' "

Though Seligson is happy to have Bean in the cast, she made it clear that an objective with Reprise! is to avoid building a repertory of performers. In fact, the appearance in "Brigadoon" by former pop idol Deborah Gibson marks the first time a featured role will be played back-to-back by anyone. Gibson was in last season's finale, "Company."

This year's three-show season -- "Brigadoon," "Pippin" (Jan. 25-Feb. 6) and "Applause" (May 10-22) -- is decidedly family friendly.

"I think children can enjoy both 'Brigadoon' and 'Pippin,' " she said. "Then I wanted a sophisticated show to round out the season, and director David Lee suggested 'Applause.' "

Bean has never seen a production of "Brigadoon," but the prospect of being Mr. Lundie excited him enough to squeeze the run in between a guest spot in an independent film and a week as a stand-in in "Of Mice and Men" at Pacific Resident Theatre, where he is a company member.

Bean always has preferred acting on stage, though he is probably best known for his roles in the TV show "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and the film "Being John Malkovich."

Bean, in his 70s now and married to actress Alley Mills, said he was ready to perform "Brigadoon" the very day he showed up for the first rehearsal, having already memorized his lines and given his voice a workout by singing in a church choir.

"I'm like the actor from the Old West who shows up as a last-minute replacement for an acting troupe," Bean said. "He simply would say, 'Where is the stage and what is the play?' "

Ventura County Star