Perhaps because they are performed annually I find some of the holiday musicals to be quite underrated amongst theatre fans and critics (I also am a huge Christmas person so that could be part of it.) One of the most underrated is the adaptation of White Christmas that I love and there’s a new wonderful production of it at Heritage Theatre. It will definitely be a great way to dance your way into this holiday season.

Most of us know the plot of White Christmas from the classic 1954 film with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, and this adaptation does a terrific job of taking out what doesn’t work (like the “Minstrel” number) and adding new songs that are still from Irving Berlin so they feel right at home with the rest of the music. I guess the show got bad reviews when it premiered on Broadway in 2008 but I don’t understand why. It does everything I want an screen to stage show to do but that’s just me.

One of the difficulties Heritage faces when doing this type of musical is how small their stage is but director Leslie Richards is up for the challenge. The choreography by Charli Adams often goes out into the audience which helps make it a more immersive experience. Throughout the course of the night we are treated to tap, ballroom and Broadway dance routines and they are well done with a lot of old-school personality. The dancing highlight is probably “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” where it’s hard to not get swept away in the old-school quality of the routine.

The night I attended Bob Wallace was played by David Sensenbaugh with Andrew Crumpley as Phil Davis. They have a nice chemistry together as friends and work well with their leading ladies Karlie Clark and Ginny Waldron playing Betty and Judy Haynes respectively. This isn’t professional quality singing but it’s pleasant and fits the homespun quality of the musical. I also appreciate how well the ensemble is used. This is a great show for community theatre because the book gives so much for the ensemble to do not just in terms of dancing sequences but a lot of characters have lines and are involved in the story (as opposed to something like Into the Woods or Little Shop which have almost no ensemble work.) I particularly enjoyed numbers like “Happy Holiday/ Let Yourself Go” that are full of energetic tap dancing for the whole cast.

Driving up to Heritage Theatre in Perry takes me almost an hour but it is a must visit whenever they have a new show. I just love the mixture of heart, ambition and entertainment they provide. White Christmas is no exception and definitely worthy of your time. It is playing through December 20th and tickets can be purchased here.

White Christmas has music and lyrics by Irving Berlin with a book by David Ives and Paul Blake based on the classic film from 1954. It first premiered on Broadway in 2008 and then again in 2009.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.