Graduates of PHS and members of the ‘Brigadoon’ cast (Photo – Brian Biery)
“Brigadoon was just fun. I carried that experience with me for the rest of my life. Those students in the play have a stronger connection to our high school experience than we would have had otherwise,” said Anne Whitaker, PHS Class of 1956.
By Brian Biery
In 1956, Pasadena High School’s drama department presented Lerner and Loewe’s magical musical Brigadoon, featuring a cast and crew of nearly 300 students, including a full orchestra. The show was a hit with the public—so much so that Pasadena Star-News columnist F.G. Runyon declared, “This, without any question, represented one of the greatest combined undergraduate efforts ever undertaken successfully by a high school anywhere in the United States.”
The Pasadena Playhouse recently concluded its acclaimed revival of this classic musical on June 14, featuring a star-studded cast led by Emmy and Tony Award winner Tyne Daly. According to the Pasadena Playhouse, “Brigadoon is the sixth musical in Pasadena Playhouse’s American Musical Project—an ongoing exploration and revitalization of classic American musicals. The Playhouse is thrilled to premiere this new, beautifully refreshed version of Brigadoon to modern, musical-loving audiences in a production that both highlights and honors the beautiful score of this beloved musical.”
The production offered a remarkable opportunity for members of the PHS Class of 1956 to revisit the rehearsals, performances, and friendships that shaped their high school years seven decades ago. According to Jon Simon, who played Angus MacLaren, “The timing of this Pasadena Playhouse production of Brigadoon provided the impetus to coordinate a 70th PHS reunion, which might not have otherwise occurred.”
As a result, on June 6, forty members of the Class of 1956 returned to Pasadena to experience the Playhouse production together. They are thrilled to have this opportunity to reconnect with classmates and revisit a production that was a defining moment in their high school experience.
Tom West, who played Tommy Albright on opening night, reflected on the occasion: “I will feel nostalgic, of course, looking back at our high school production. I dug up the score to find out what I could remember, and it is an amazingly good feeling that I can still remember the songs. I may not be able to sing a whole song, but I could sing most of any of them. It is wonderful to have your long-term memories at this age.”
Beginning with the merger of Pasadena High School and Pasadena Junior College in 1928, the Pasadena Unified School District operated under a 6-4-4 system in which students attended the same campus for both high school and junior college. In 1954, however, the district established Pasadena High School as a stand-alone institution on the PJC campus.
Whitaker, who was part of the dance troupe in Brigadoon, recalled the pride students felt during that transition: “Our class had a lot of spirit. We were the first class of PHS as a separate school. Previously, it had been part of Pasadena Junior College. We were the first to have our own administration and program. We were on the city college campus, but we were in our own school.”
The excitement surrounding an independent Pasadena High School undoubtedly contributed to the extraordinary level of participation in Brigadoon. Nearly half of the school’s senior class of 670 students played some role in the production.
According to West, the level of engagement was remarkable: “The whole school was involved, either with the stage crew, chorus, glee club, dancers, choir, or orchestra. The costumes were made by the home economics class, and the art classes designed the program. It seemed like everyone had a part in the play.”
The PHS production of Brigadoon was performed in Sexson Auditorium at PCC on April 19, 20, and 21, 1956, to sold-out crowds. General admission tickets cost $1.00, while reserved seats were $1.50.
Audiences were amazed. Whitaker recalls the reaction after one performance: “My parents were blown away. They knew that I was going to rehearsals, but they didn’t understand the scope of it. They thought it was a professional production.”
Runyon echoed that sentiment in his review, writing that the production “also had the magic touch of professionalism which gave assurance to the audience that it was being given its money’s worth.”
It seems fitting that the Pasadena Playhouse selected Brigadoon as part of its current season. When members of the Class of 1956 learned that the musical would be returning to the stage, they immediately recognized it as the perfect occasion for a reunion.
“It was meant to be,” Whitaker remarked. “Whenever I sent an email to our class, people would respond, ‘Are we going to have a 70th reunion?’ So when this play happened, it was a marvelous opportunity for us to celebrate.”
West shared a similar perspective: “We probably won’t all see each other again, and that is why this reunion is so special.”
For these former PHS students, the value of arts education is reflected in the lasting memories created through their participation in this production. Simon summed up the experience this way: “The camaraderie during rehearsals for the three scheduled nights of performances, as well as the actual performances, are my fondest recollections from high school.”
Whitaker expressed a similar sentiment: “Whenever I think of my high school years, I am taken to a mythical, magical, lyrical place that is big in my imagination—an idyllic place like Brigadoon. It brings smiles and so many pleasant memories of the fun the cast had during rehearsals and the production of this play. It really lifts my spirits.”
The musical tells the story of two American travelers who lose their way in the Scottish Highlands and stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious village that appears for only one day every hundred years.
This year, that village will magically reappeared on stage for dozens of PHS alumni, enchanting them once again with its splendid score, live orchestra, dynamic choreography, and heart-stirring journey into a world where time stands still and love triumphs over logic, seventy years later.
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