‘Seven Brides’ comes to Logan
LEE ZION, EDITOR
Harrison County Times-Reporter
When mountain man Adam Pontipee returns home with a wife, his six brothers are jealous. After all, they don’t have any women for themselves! So they do the only logical thing. They kidnap six eligible women, knowing that winter is setting in, and no one can get in or out.
Will love blossom before the snow melts? Do the suitors from the town stand a chance? And will Millie ever forgive Adam because he never mentioned her six new brothers-in-law?
That is the plot of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” a classic musical being brought to life at the Goodrich Studio, an outdoor theater not far from Logan. You can catch the fun, the singing and the dancing at 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
The show is truly a family production. Not only is this a show suitable for families, but it also features families in key roles. Heidi Gutzmer plays Millie; her real-life-husband, Evan Gutzmer, is Adam.
Heidi is the daughter of Lynn and Leana Goodrich, who are mounting the production.
The cast is confident.
“I think we are doing really well. This is a show that Mrs. Goodrich has wanted to do since we started, years ago,” said Heidi, who also handles the costumes and the choreography. “And we just think we have the best cast to do it with.”
Lynnai Shada, who plays Alice, got involved because Leana teaches at Missouri Valley High School. She started last year with the Goodrich family’s production of “Annie,” and she decided to stick with it.
Leana handles show choir and speech at the school.
“I like a lot of, like, getting to know everybody, and making a lot of friendships. Like Kendal,” she said. “I never thought I was going to be friends with him. Didn’t even know him. Met him last year, over the summer, and it was just a great friendship.”
Kendel Baldwin, who plays Benjamin, the second oldest brother.
“I feel like we’re all mixed together. So we have to come together,” he said.“I feel like this show is definitely the show to bring us all together.”
Last year, Baldwin played Drake in “Annie.” He was also Charlie Brown in the Goodrich’s production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
“I was Snoopy,” Shada added.
Don Blackford plays Mr. Sander, the restaurant owner and the father of one of the kidnapped brides. He got involved because he’s a friend of the Goodrich family. He helped with “Oklahoma,” “Annie” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” mostly behind the scenes.
He agreed with Baldwin’s assessment.
“Not only everybody comes together as a team, but if parents, the public out there could only see behind in stage. ... One in particular, who I won’t name. But she came in shy. She is now just — out.
As for Evan, he helped build the stage and assists with the choreography. He got involved because he married into the family.
“The sense of community. You get to know each other really well,” he said. “As the ‘eldest brother,’ I really felt like we’ve built a family within the cast.”
Lynn, meanwhile, got into this because it was his wife’s dream.
“She thought it was a great idea, and was something that the kids really needed, because they didn’t have any opportunities like this in Missouri Valley. Because they don’t do musicals,” he said.
The outdoor ttheater is at 2485 U.S. Highway 30 in Logan. From Missouri Valley, the distance is about 5 miles. Look for a green sign on the left side of the road. From Logan, proceed 4 miles west along U.S. Highway 30. Tickets are sold at the door; bring a lawn chair.
