The Shaw Festival’s “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” sparkles and satisfies

What makes the combination of love stories and the holiday season so timeless and irresistible? 

Whatever the reason, the rom com is the sugar cookie of holiday genres: sweet, satisfying and impossible to resist. And when you add to that rom com a bevy of classic Irving Berlin songs and some drop-dead dance numbers, well, your sugar cookie goes next level.

Case in point: the Shaw Festival’s buoyant new production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Not only does it deliver the genre and the songs – it features exceptional staging, acting, singing, dancing and overall production values. The show is directed deftly, with wit and verve, by Kate Hennig. And Allison Plamondon’s choreography and Judith Bowden’s beautiful sets are showpieces all on their own. 

Yes, this sweet show sparkles and satisfies in all the right ways.

The heart-warming musical is, of course, based on a 1954 Paramount PIctures film which is well-known to anyone who has channel-surfed on Christmas Day in the past 40 years. It should be noted that the plot of the musical is not a frame-by-frame reproduction. This stage version, which premiered in 2000, features a new book by David Ives and Paul Blake, along with Berlin’s songs from the movie. Indeed, the musical boasts some of the greatest soundtrack songs ever written, including “Happy Holidays”, “Sisters”, “Blue Skies”, “Love You Didn’t Do Right By Me”, “How Deep Is The Ocean” and the Academy Award-winning title song, which has become synonymous with the season

Like the movie, the story opens in 1944 during World War II. It’s Christmas Eve, and GIs Wallace and Davis (Jeff Irving and Kevin McLachan) are presenting a Christmas show for their troopmates. After this opener, the main story picks up a decade later. In the intervening years, the two men have become Broadway stars. Just a few days before Christmas,1954, they cross paths with sister act Betty and Judy Haynes. Phil, a bachelor playboy always on the lookout for his next girl, falls immediately in love with Judy (Mary Antonini). The pragmatic, level-headed Bob is intrigued by the no-nonsense Betty (Alexis Gordon), but they get off on the wrong foot.

In their romantic pursuit of the two women, Bob and Phil soon find themselves (in a delightfully staged scene) on a train to Pine Tree, Vermont. Once there, they discover that their former commanding officer General Henry Waverly (David Alan Anderson) owns the inn and is in jeopardy of losing the property. The foursome decide to put on a show to save it . . . and rom com misunderstandings, mistrust and miscommunication ensue. The result is first hijinks and then, eventually, the sweet satisfaction of love.

The Shaw Festival ensemble is uniformly strong and boasts scene-stealing performances. Jenni Burke is terrific as Martha, the inn’s wisecracking, big-hearted concierge-cum-force-of-nature. The stagehand Ezekiel, played by a minimalist Drew Plummer as unflappable and slower-than-molasses-in-January, evokes lots of laughter. And McLachlan is noteworthy for his effortlessly mellifluous singing. He and Antonini are a captivating, well-matched duo, especially in dance sequences where – in beautiful 50s-era costumes designed by Bowden – they channel the essence of classic movie musicals. The pair are mesmerizing in “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing”. And their “I Love A Piano” number, which opens Act II, is a showstopper. Upon reflection, all of the dance numbers are electric. Plamandon’s choreography is intricate (watch the formations in “Blue Skies”), but somehow this company of dancers makes it look effortless.

And just in case you’re wondering if a show called “White Christmas” – especially one set in 1954 – is relatable in 2022, the answer is an emphatic “Yes.” The updated plot and additional characters of the stage musical make the story relevant to contemporary audiences –  especially when it’s performed by such a diverse and dynamic cast. 

This beautifully-performed, feel-good romance will gladden hearts and evoke smiles this holiday season. You have until December 23 to indulge your sweet tooth.  

Reserve tickets to Irving Berlin’s White Christmas on shawfest.com.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2022