Character guide
Tommy Albright
from Brigadoon
Tommy Albright is the American tourist who falls in love with a woman from a mystical Scottish village in Brigadoon, Lerner and Loewe's 1947 musical.
- Show
- Brigadoon
- Broadway premiere
- 1947
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Frederick Loewe
Tommy Albright on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1954 film and 1966 TV film
David Brooks created Tommy on Broadway in 1947, Gene Kelly played him in Vincente Minnelli's 1954 MGM film, and Robert Goulet took the role in the 1966 ABC television version. The 1954 film was shot on MGM soundstages rather than in Scotland; Minnelli and Kelly had wanted to film on location, but the unpredictable climate and cost ruled it out.
The story is the same: Tommy falls for Fiona, returns to New York, and finds he cannot forget her. In the film he can think only of Fiona, ends his engagement, and returns to Scotland, where Brigadoon reappears. On stage his songs include Almost Like Being in Love, The Heather on the Hill, and There But for You Go I.
Who is Tommy Albright?
Tommy is a New Yorker on a hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands who, along with his friend Jeff Douglas, stumbles into the enchanted village of Brigadoon. Restless and vaguely unsatisfied with his life back home, including an unfulfilling engagement, he finds himself drawn to the village's simplicity and to Fiona MacLaren in particular.
Over the course of the single day Brigadoon is awake, Tommy is forced to weigh his entire modern life against the chance of a timeless, magical happiness, a decision that forms the emotional core of the musical.
Tommy Albright's role in Brigadoon
Tommy is the lead male role, a romantic tenor part built around the soaring Almost Like Being in Love and the pastoral The Heather on the Hill, both duets with Fiona. The role requires a leading man who can make the sudden, whirlwind romance with Fiona feel believable within a single day's story.
David Brooks originated the role in 1947, and Gene Kelly played Tommy in the 1954 film, bringing his dance background to a part that has remained a favorite for romantic leading men in revivals ever since.
Tommy Albright: frequently asked questions
What show is Tommy Albright from?
Tommy Albright is the lead male character in Brigadoon, which opened in 1947.
Is Tommy Albright a lead or supporting role?
Tommy Albright is a lead role and the show's central character.
Who wrote the music for Brigadoon?
Frederick Loewe wrote the music, with Alan Jay Lerner writing the lyrics and book.
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