Character guide
Charlie Dalrymple
from Brigadoon
Charlie Dalrymple is the young villager whose wedding day drives much of the plot in Brigadoon, Lerner and Loewe's 1947 musical.
- Show
- Brigadoon
- Broadway premiere
- 1947
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Frederick Loewe
Charlie Dalrymple on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1954 film
In the 1954 film, the bridegroom is Charlie Chisholm Dalrymple, played by Jimmy Thompson, whose singing was dubbed by John Gustafson, and his bride is Jean Campbell rather than Jean MacLaren.
Lee Sullivan created Charlie on Broadway in 1947. On stage the role carries two of the score's most joyful songs: I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, celebrating his coming wedding with the ensemble, and Come to Me, Bend to Me, sung as he waits to see Jean on their wedding day. Their wedding is the event the whole village prepares for in the story.
Who is Charlie Dalrymple?
Charlie is a cheerful young man of Brigadoon set to marry Jean MacLaren, Fiona's sister, on the very day the village wakes from its hundred year sleep. His joyful anticipation of the wedding sets the tone for much of the show's first act.
His marriage is threatened by Harry Beaton, a rejected suitor of Jean's who, in his grief and anger, resolves to leave Brigadoon and break the spell that protects it, putting the entire village at risk because of Charlie's happiness.
Charlie Dalrymple's role in Brigadoon
Charlie is a supporting tenor role best known for the buoyant Come to Me, Bend to Me and I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, songs that showcase a lighter, more traditionally folk inflected sound within the score. The role calls for an easy, appealing tenor voice.
Lee Sullivan originated the role in 1947, and the part has continued to be a strong opportunity for tenors within the ensemble, giving Brigadoon some of its most purely joyful music.
Charlie Dalrymple: frequently asked questions
What show is Charlie Dalrymple from?
Charlie Dalrymple is a supporting character in Brigadoon, which opened in 1947.
Is Charlie Dalrymple a lead or supporting role?
Charlie Dalrymple is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Brigadoon?
Frederick Loewe wrote the music, with Alan Jay Lerner writing the lyrics and book.
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