Character guide
Fiona MacLaren
from Brigadoon
Fiona MacLaren is the village woman who falls in love with Tommy Albright in Brigadoon, Lerner and Loewe's 1947 musical.
- Show
- Brigadoon
- Broadway premiere
- 1947
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Frederick Loewe
Fiona MacLaren on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1954 film and 1966 TV film
The 1954 film changes Fiona's surname: Cyd Charisse plays Fiona Campbell, and her sister is Jean Campbell. Charisse's singing was dubbed by Carol Richards. In the 1966 ABC television version, Sally Ann Howes played Fiona MacLaren.
Marion Bell created the role on Broadway in 1947. On stage Fiona shares the show's great love duets with Tommy, including Almost Like Being in Love, which became a standard, The Heather on the Hill, sung as they gather heather, and From This Day On, sung as Tommy wavers about staying.
Who is Fiona MacLaren?
Fiona is a young woman from the enchanted village of Brigadoon, practical and unhurried in a way that contrasts sharply with Tommy's restless modern life. She has waited, seemingly content, for a love she has not yet found, and Tommy's sudden arrival gives her a chance at a happiness she had stopped expecting.
Her connection to Tommy develops within the space of a single magical day, and Fiona must confront the possibility of loving someone who may not be able to stay in her timeless world forever.
Fiona MacLaren's role in Brigadoon
Fiona is the female lead, a lyric soprano role centered on the plaintive Waitin' for My Dearie and the soaring Almost Like Being in Love, shared with Tommy. The part calls for a warm, unaffected quality that makes Fiona's old fashioned steadiness feel appealing rather than passive.
Marion Bell originated the role in 1947, and Cyd Charisse played Fiona in the 1954 film, with the part continuing to draw performers who can balance grounded simplicity with genuine romantic yearning.
Fiona MacLaren: frequently asked questions
What show is Fiona MacLaren from?
Fiona MacLaren is the lead female character in Brigadoon, which opened in 1947.
Is Fiona MacLaren a lead or supporting role?
Fiona MacLaren is a lead role opposite Tommy Albright.
Who wrote the music for Brigadoon?
Frederick Loewe wrote the music, with Alan Jay Lerner writing the lyrics and book.
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