‘White Christmas: The Musical’ Review

Have A White Christmas in Vancouver

Around this time of year we typically cycle through our catalogue of Christmas movies or tune into the many holiday specials on TV. However, some turn to the theatre to get their festive blood flowing.

 

I recently attended a matinee performance of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical at the Stanley Theatre, presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company.

 

If you’re looking for a high energy, festive family musical, look no further: White Christmas will put you in the holiday spirit.

 

A White Christmas

Jeffrey Victor and Todd Talbot in the Vancouver production of Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas: The Musical’. (Image: David Cooper)

 

The story focuses on wartime buddy’s Phil Davis (Todd Talbot) and Bob Wallace (Jeffrey Victor), who go into show business after serving in WWII. 

 

The pair meets the Haynes sisters Betty (Sara-Jeanne Hosie) and Judy (Monique Lund), and after falling for Judy, Phil tricks Bob into following them to Vermont, where the girls work as entertainers at a local inn.

 

It turns out the Inn was run by Phil and Bob’s beloved war general Henry Waverly (Allan Gray) and his busy-bodied concierge Martha Watson (Susan Anderson). With his hard-lined military habits, the general doesn’t make a very good innkeeper and his business is on the verge of collapse.

 

In an effort to save the Inn, Bob and Phil team up with the sister’s and other artists to create a Broadway show in the general’s barn, which leads to a budding romance between Bob and Betty.

 

A White Christmas Review

Todd Talbot, Monique Lund and the cast of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical. (Image: David Cooper)

 

I loved White Christmas for its wonderful score, family-friendly script and impressive choreography. The fourth wall was often broken, as characters addressed the audience with questions or invited us to sing along. This inclusion was both captivating and fun.

 

Susan Anderson’s wealth of theatre experience and powerful voice stole the show in her role as Martha. Her highlight line as she was addressing the general: “It’s like we’re married—we fight all the time, but we never have sex.”

 

At the opening of Act II, Judy and Phil sang the duet I Love a Piano, which eventually led to a full ensemble tap dance. It was impossible not to be blown away by the rhythmically perfect routine.

 

Ending in a well-deserved standing ovation, White Christmas is the ideal holiday musical.