‘Bridegroom’ Sets Folk Tale Set to Bluegrass

Ravens croaking prophetic homilies, ornery-talking heads of decapitated highwaymen toted around in boxes, wicked stepmothers plotting against beautiful maidens, and magical forests a-twang with live banjo players and fiddlers. It’s a lot like the Brothers Grimm meet the Clampetts as “The Robber Bridegroom” takes its slot in the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum’s summer repertory.

Steeped in the wide-eyed hyperbole of the tallest folk tales of the Deep South, this whimsical bluegrass musical by Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman transposes Eudora Welty’s popular novella into a stage-worthy romp. ‘Twixt agreeable tunes with corn-pone titles like “Love Stolen (From the Cookie Jar),” “Ain’t Nothin’ Up,” “Marriage Is Riches” and “Poor Tied Up Darlin,’ ” romance blossoms between a naive plantation heiress (Dawnnie Mercado) and a dashing desperado (Chris Bultman) bent on acquiring her father’s property.

The plot high jinks involve improbable twists of mistaken identity, nefarious plots and satirically upended morality, all whirled into perpetual motion by a consistently amusing 26-member hillbilly ensemble. Among the colorful principals, show-stealing Melora Marshall is a hoot as the frustrated stepmother crooning her off-key laments when her schemes fall apart, while Tom Allard brings hilarious, slow-witted affability to the clueless father. Spurring some amusing subplots are Sheridan Crist as the gawking, cutthroat nemesis of the hero, and Justin Doran as a braying dimwit enlisted in the stepmother’s murderous plots for the promised reward of a suckling pig.

Awash with positively inbred rural charm amid the outdoor Botanicum canyon backdrop, Ellen Geer’s rowdy staging proves infectious for even the most die-hard city folks.

* “The Robber Bridegroom,” Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 24; Saturdays, 4 p.m. through Sept. 13. $12-$15. (310) 455-3723. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.