STAGE REVIEW : ‘BRIDEGROOM’ WHOOPS WITH FUN

American folklore has its share of tall tales, and no one tells them taller than the townsfolk of Rodney, Miss. They don’t exactly set out to exaggerate, but by the time their yarn is spun, the cotton measures 110 feet high and giant blue panthers stalk the indigo fields. When fact and fiction arm wrestle in Rodney, fiction wins every time.

That’s exactly the way the facts get stretched in the strange 1975 musical “The Robber Bridegroom,” based on a novella by that sublime Southern storyteller Eudora Welty. Like Welty, the clever, boisterous production staged by the Brea Theatre League understands the way big stories can blossom in small towns, and it proceeds to show us how.

Director Gary Krinke uses the citizens of Rodney to act out the parts as they share the local legend with the audience. The townsfolk also serve as stagehands, human props, appreciative observers and a sort of redneck Greek chorus. It’s an approach that neatly complements the structure of the show and is expertly carried out by the capable, energetic cast.

This production knows when to whoop and when to whisper as it relates the legend of a dashing scoundrel named Jamie Lockhart, the rich and beautiful Rosamund and her wicked, salacious stepmother Salome who tries to come between them. Jamie is all slick self-assurance until he meets his match in love, and Dirk Rogers makes the transition convincing. His portrayal is appropriately rooted in melodrama, but Rogers uses his powerful singing voice to show deeper shadings of Jamie’s character as he boasts, seduces and--eventually--laments.

The object of Jamie’s attentions is lovely Rosamund, played by Claire Peters, who has an impressive voice as well. Peters plays Rosamund more winsome than restless, more sweet than sultry, at least until she meets up with the rascal Jamie.

Then country girl is transformed into Delta vamp, and their bizarre version of courting turns from brutal to playful as Rosamund feigns unconsciousness but sits up to primp every time her lover’s back is turned.

Outlandish comic touches dot this production like butter on johnnycakes. Actors fill in as household furniture and forest trees. Clocks tick and foreheads sizzle audibly to illustrate plot points. The ugly, wicked stepmother flourishes her broomstick as if she’s about to straddle it and ride off into the night. An enormous basket turns into a handy cover-up when the bandit of the woods steals Rosamund’s gold-trimmed dress.

Much of the humor is slapstick, very funny and very busy. On occasion too busy, as when the feeble-minded character Goat trails Rosamund through the woods. His pratfalls and missteps simply overwhelm her boredom-laden lament “Nothin’ Up.” There is some nice irony here, but the lyrics are lost in the commotion.

Patrick Veling and Ruth Freiman are nicely matched as the comically mismatched Clement and Salome, Rosamund’s indulgent daddy and her scheming stepmother. Clement is obviously missing a few mental spark plugs, while his flamboyant second wife never misses a thing, especially if it has a dollar sign in front of it.

The eerie accent piece to all the hijinks is a squawking raven--played by Jorri Northrop in a brief but mesmerizing performance--that forecasts danger with uncanny accuracy.

The rural flavor of the show is thick, but a sense of the Deep South is missing. The most puzzling element is the set design; the barn-like setting is lean, clean and versatile, but it suggests “Oklahoma!” more than the Mississippi Delta. So does the step-lively (and well executed) choreography that incorporates square dancing into the major production numbers.

THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM A Brea Theatre League production. Book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry, adapted from the novella by Eudora Welty. Music by Robert Waldman. Director Gary Krinke. With Dirk Rogers, Patrick Veling, Ruth Freiman, Claire Peters, Danny Villagomez, Robert Moreno, Kyle Myers, Sherry Zupan, Merritt Claudin and Jorri Northrop. Musical director Linda Prideaux. Choreography John Vaughan. Set design Bob Sessions. Lighting design Kevin Smith. Costume design Mary Engwall, Kathleen McGowen. Plays at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Closes Oct. 17. Tickets $6-$7.50. Curtis Theatre, Brea Civic Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, (714) 524-6653.