Information

Show Credits: Music by Robert Waldman
Book by Alfred Uhry
Lyrics by Alfred Uhry

Description: A rousing, bawdy Southern fairy tale set in eighteenth century Mississippi, THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM is the story of the courting of Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country, by Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods. The proceedings go awry, thanks to an unconventional case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund’s demise, her pea-brained henchman and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have the recipe for a rollicking country romp.

Told in "story theatre" fashion with nine principal actors on a unit set, THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM is extremely flexible in its staging and production possibilities. The hysterical book by Alfred Uhry, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of DRIVING MISS DAISY, gives each actor his or her moment to shine. Composer Robert Waldman has created a score to be played by a small onstage band. It’s one of the only genuine bluegrass scores ever heard in a Broadway musical, giving this unusual tale of the Natchez Trace a distinctive sound all its own.

Insight from the experts Staging Tip: Big or small. One recent college production did it in the round using nothing but crates and hay, as if it were being performed in a barn. In a comic touch, the character of Big Harp is just a head. The actor playing him kneels in a box with just his head sticking out.