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brothers' go on a d; 1 Boones more tl cmg spree By' John Mc&iihtoc Timer Tribune t-beatee crtuc SAN FRANCISCO ?╟÷ Ask any movie or dance buff about ?╟úSeven Brides For Sever Brothers?╟Ñ ar.c tie?╟╓ll talk about the barn-raising number That- was where five of the rugged est, flashiest, most vigorous male dancers ever to hit the screen stepped out mto an exciting, athletic dance that forever erased the "effete" image of male dancers from the mind of anyone who sew it, (Yes, five. Two of the brothers, didn?╟╓t dance, remember?╟╓) Cnances are, your average movie or dance buff won?╟╓t recall too much else about the movie except perhaps Howard Keel's lusty baritone, or sneaking .oat for popcorn when .Jane Powell surfed warbling. The fact is/that '"Seven Brides For Seven Brothers?╟Ñ slows down more than j usi a little when no one?╟╓s dancing. Somewhere along the line, someone connected wile the show?╟╓s stage adaptation figured this out and decided that, in order to succeed, ?╟úSeven Brines" needed to stretch out that barn-raising vitality somehow. So the version of "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers?╟╓ which opened 8 three-week run Saturday a: the Orpheum is loaded with spectacular dancing. All seven of the broth- | Theater reviews ers dance m tins one. For that mar ter., so does everyone else. And, surprise of surprises, star Debbie (?╟úYou Light Up Mv Life") Boone does a very nice jod filling that thankless Jane Powell part Whether that?╟╓s enough to take the show to Broadway is still questionable, though, because you know what? It still glows down when no one's dancing. The good news is tnaTTEatTnot as ofteh asirused to ?╟úoe~~ : ~ " Choreographer Jerry Jackson .has provided a sturdy, museular .version of the barh-raisirru enow a ./church social) which"oweTquiie a. bii'To Michael Kidd's original ebtF _ geography for the 1.954 film. He-injected some vitality into the .snow's second half with two brand ^ciudin^ ~arYousing ir ____I Once all this gets going, with .splendid dancers cast as pnaes?? % brothers "and townspeople, ''Seven,-.JBndes" can ?╟≤ survive an the rustic ?√ß .cmeness of Its jesMutUQSiSfi-C .shioned story: about a family of love-struck mountain men who carry off the girls the) want to marry, outraging not only the townsfolk but the sassy and sense die wife o: the family s tone mart;, ned brother* Untii things do get going, though,: ?╟úSeven Brides for Seven Bn uier&J looks like a -chancy affair. re ?╟ú one ?╟≤ thing, oldest Drainer Ada:: is badly cast David-James Carre?╟ I 'nay fig|r ther the voice, the manner nor toe stature to play me robust sw&gge' -' mg head of the family. In the role of Aaarxfs wife MUiiei on the other hand. Debbie Boone proves that she5s more than just a p re tty voice. Her voice, in fact.> .is nice out unsenshtional. Ii;sJlief spirited characterization torn s 1TF35? winning, along with her impressive ability to no Id her. own as. s dancer in the fast company choreographer Jackson and director Lawrence Kasha have given her The supporting play err are ail gracelui an6 energetic, so inext h?╟╓a?╟╓ustiDle that you car forgive then, anything-..except possibly Nancy Tox:s unbearabi} self-conscious cu-?╟ teness as me youngest of the would-be brides. The original ?╟ ?╟ Seven Brides?╟╓" ?╟úScore, by Johnny Mercer and Gent ?╟údiTPauK featured only seven or eight songs, and. most c! them "weren't especially memorable- s<i the stage version .has eliminated several and added, six new ones by A1 Kasha and Joel Hirschhorni One of those ?╟úLove Never Goes. Away/?╟╓ is at least as good as the originals.