The Robber Bridegroom, a tale taken through time and twisted at every corner will be presented in its final form Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Thrust Theatre.
The Robber Bridegroom has been changed from fairy tale to novella to musical since its first form in the 1800’s as a Children’s and Household Tale, which are now known as Grimms’ Fairy Tales. The dark story is finally being told and brought into the limelight once again, presented in a slightly new form.
“The musical The Robber Bridegroom has been a project I’ve wanted to work on for over 25 years,” director Leigh Selting said. “A strangely unique musical, it has had two separate runs on Broadway, and an off-Broadway revival two years ago.”
Based on a dark and disturbing fairy tale by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm that involves murder, kidnapping and cannibalism, it was adapted into a novella in 1942 by Eudora Welty. Making the story a little tamer, she turned it into a southern fairytale set in 1795, Mississippi. Welty added the name of the character of The Robber Bridegroom (Jamie Lockhart), a famous man of folklore in early Mississippi history.
Her story follows Clement Musgove back to his home where he lives with his second wife, Salome, and daughter Rosamund. Lockhart then kidnaps Rosamund and the two quickly fall in love. Welty retains some of darker elements by including a notorious robber, Little Harp, who carries around the severed head of his brother in a box and the bizarre death of Salome.
In the early 1970’s Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman work shopped the story at St. Clements Theatre in NYC. Once again, characters were adapted, making Little Harp the main villain in the piece, and setting the fairytale to music. Uhry and Walden re-wrote and worked the piece to find a way to tell the dark story from a bold, lighthearted and comic angle. Thus, the musical version of the Grimm’s fairy tale, The Robber Bridegroom, was born.
Despite the grim theme and plot, Selting hopes the audience will understand the dark story in the comedic matter being presented. His version being presented will utilize the same boldness as Uhry and Waldman with a timeless setting and employing bold, direct and presentational story-theatre elements throughout the show.
“The show remains darkly comic, Waldman’s music is as beautiful as ever, and it moves quickly from point to point, much like the original story,” Selting said.
Tickets for The Robber Bridegroom are $7 for students, $14 for the general public and $11 for seniors. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk. Tickets can be purchased by calling 307-766-6666 or going online at uwyo.edu/finearts. For more information email Katherine Kirkaldie at kirisk@uwyo.edu.
