Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Music & Lyrics Irving Berlin
Book by David Ives and Paul Blake
Directed by Lee Buckholtz
A review by Keith Waits
Entire contents are copyright © 2012 Keith Waits. All rights
reserved.
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| Brian Bowman, Sarah Ann Koster, Matthew Brennan & Julie Evins in White Christmas. Photo courtesy of Derby Dinner Playhouse. |
For me, White
Christmas has always prompted comparisons. Many have seen it as a loose
remake of an earlier film, Holiday Inn,
which also featured Bing Crosby and the first appearance of his most famous
song in a movie. His co-star then was Fred Astaire, which is about the only
element that White Christmas failed
to improve upon. Danny Kaye was an ingenious comic actor and accomplished
dancer, but in the latter department, he was no Fred Astaire. Still, the later
film, filmed many years later in a lavish Technicolor production, is by far the
more developed, polished and appropriately seasonal offering.
Bringing the story to the stage seems an obvious and winning
notion, although trying to fill Bing’s shoes is a tall order for any actor; and
stepping up to warble the title tune is likely a daunting task, no matter how
good his vocal training.
I grew up watching White
Christmas as a child, and it was missing for many years from the catalog of
holiday television broadcasts. Now that it has taken its rightful place among
the multitude of holiday offerings, a stage version is welcome, if for no other
reason than to have a reason to perform songs by one of the greatest of the
great American songwriters, Irving Berlin. Not all of the original group of
songs is retained: “Mandy” and
“Choreography” are missing, perhaps because they were the most lavish and
complex dance numbers. But the replacements are still top drawer Berlin
standards, like “Let Me Sing and I’m Happy.”
The
revamped story sacrifices many details, which lent the narrative urgency and
strengthened the bonds between the characters: Davis no longer saves Wallace
during combat in World War II; and the two no longer rescue the Haynes sisters
from the sheriff by hopping a late-night train out of town. It leaves us with
relationships that seem to exist only because we expect them to. White Christmas may seem like holiday
fluff to some, but these changes underscore how well crafted the original
screenplay actually was.
Whatever
quibbles I have about the script, the performance is up to the usual Derby
Dinner standard. As Wallace and Davis, Bob Bowman and Matthew Brennan make for
a winning team, even if the latter proves a sharper and more agile presence.
Sarah Ann Koster and Julie Evins are also an effective team as the Haynes
sisters. All four leads sing beautifully. But Mr. Brennan and Ms. Evins also
are strong dancers, leading the company in several well-choreographed production
numbers such as the lavish ”Blue Skies” that closes the first act, and the
romantic and pas de deux, “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing.” Other
notable turns come from David Myers as General Waverly and Carol Williams as
his housekeeper Martha Watson, a character enlarged somewhat from the film and
given a couple of scene-stealing musical numbers. Carolyn Dodd was an
irrepressible presence as the General’s granddaughter, Susan; and Derby Dinner
mainstay Cary Wiger provided solid support in several roles.
Even
though I miss the story elements removed in this adaptation, this production is
a highly entertaining show and features some of the best song-and-dance work
I’ve ever seen on the DDP stage. Pulling off such polished and complex
choreography is often a challenge for local companies. But choreographer
Heather Paige Folsom has outdone herself here, helping to make this a
glittering holiday entertainment that works for the whole family.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
November 20 – December 31, 2012
Derby Dinner Playhouse
525 Marriott Drive
Clarksville, IN 47129
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