WEST VALLEY CITY — Dave Tinney was about 10 years old when he first saw the 1954 film “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” and as he watched, he was certain of one thing: He wanted to learn to dance like the men in the show.

“It was a major marker in the road to my current career,” Tinney, who is associate artistic director and director of education at Hale Centre Theatre, wrote in an email to the Deseret News. “When I watch the show, I can immediately recall those feelings.”

Tinney has done more the learn to dance like those men — he’s now leading the actors in HCT’s upcoming production of the show as he works as both director and choreographer.

“The thing that I rediscover each time I've done the show is how happy it is,” Tinney wrote about the show. “The score is happy, the script is happy, the dancing is happy. ... It's extremely joyful.”

HCT’s production of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” which will run for more than 60 performances between Feb. 15-April 8 at the West Valley City theater, comes due to popular demand by audience members, according to a news release.

It tells the story of Adam Pontipee, a backwoodsman in 1850s Oregon, and his six rowdy brothers. After Adam marries the unsuspecting Milly Bradon, a refined woman from the nearby town, Milly takes it upon herself to civilize the seven unruly, uncultured men. Things get complicated, however, when the overenthusiastic brothers decide to kidnap brides of their own.

Erin Royall Carlson, who is single-cast in HCT’s production as Milly, said her character’s reaction to the situation highlights one of the show’s primary themes: commitment.

“(Milly) felt like she was sort of tricked into (the situation), and she could have easily taken off, but she made a commitment and so much good came out of that commitment,” she said in a phone interview. “It’s inspiring because I think too often people just kind of give up on their circumstances and (think) the grass is greener elsewhere, but so much positive and so much happiness came out of everything.”

According to the news release, the story of Milly and the Pontipee brothers was first told in the 1954 MGM film “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” A stage musical written by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay with music by Gene de Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn opened on Broadway in 1982 and was nominated for a Tony Award for best original score. Then in 2007, the musical received an update that added a few songs and dances that were not part of the original film, with which many audiences are most familiar, the news release states.

For Dan Frederickson, who plays Adam in the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday cast, HCT’s iteration of the show gives audience members a chance to get to know the characters individually.

“A lot of times when you have an ensemble, they seem like ensemble members, but each brother and each of the brides are very unique characters,” he said. “It’s just something you see in a short amount of time and not even a lot of lines. You get the ability to learn the characters for each of the people in the show.”

Carlson agreed, citing Hale’s famed theater-in-the-round staging as a vehicle for added detail.

“This type of show I think is awesome in the round,” she said. “It makes it a little more intimate, and one of the positive things I can think of ... is it allows a little more nuance, a little more subtlety.”

Frederickson and Carlson also included catchy music and an engaging story among the show’s appealing features, and both said dance numbers are the highlight.

“Dave Tinney is a wizard at ensemble numbers and ensemble choreography,” Frederickson said. “It’s so difficult for a choreographer when so much intricate stuff is going on, and (Tinney) is the best there is at it.”

The dance style, according to Tinney, is just part of the cast and crew’s intention to reflect the the colors, sounds and memories that first captivated audiences of the original film.

“Our team really wanted to get back to what made people fall in love with the show,” Tinney wrote. “It isn't a direct copy. It is definitely an homage.”

Content advisory: "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" contains a few instances of mild violence, and some of the characters' actions are likely to be considered chauvinistic.

If you go …

What: “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”

When: Feb. 15-April 8, Monday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinees at 12:30 and 4 p.m.

Where: Hale Centre Theatre, 3333 S.Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City

How much: $34-$37 for adults, $18 for youths and children

Phone: 801-984-9000

Web: hct.org

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HCT's 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' pays homage to 1954 film

Hale Centre Theatre's upcoming production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is intended to pay homage to the dance style, colors, sounds and memories that first captivated audiences of the original film.

Email: wwilde@deseretnews.com

Twitter: whitneybutters

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