Ready for a 'White Christmas?' Visit The Fox -- Fast
By John Quinn, Encore Michigan
Film fans know you'll often find the star billed above the title. The same can be said of "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," now playing until Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave.
Berlin and his music are the stars. With a career spanning some 60 years and over 1000 songs, Berlin is the grand old man of American popular music, leading fellow composer Jerome Kern to remark that "Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music."
Most folks have at least a passing acquaintance with the 1954 film starring Bing Crosby. The musical draws inspiration from the film, but is by no means a carbon copy. The book by David Ives and Paul Blake retain the characters and a bare thread of the plot, the better to showcase some 15 Berlin classics – far more than in the film. These include, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" and of course, the title song.
That thread of a plot is pretty thin to be supporting the heavy-weight music. The successful song-and-dance act of Wallace and Davis has been on the boards for some 10 years since the pair met in the Army during the War. Their current hit review is closing just before Christmas and the company is packing for Florida. At a night club, our boys take in the Haynes sisters' act. Phil (David Elder) falls head-over-heels for Judy (Shannon M. O'Brian); Bob (Stephen R. Buntrock) and Betty (Stefanie Morse) merely aggravate each other.
Phil tricks Bob into following the girls to Vermont, where they're booked for the holidays at a ski resort. Will wonders never cease! The inn is run by their former commanding officer, the crusty Gen. Henry Waverly (Joseph Costa)! The General is broke, there's no snow for skiing, and the inn faces foreclosure. The magnanimous foursome decides to hold a show (wait for it) in the barn (naturally) to help save the day. A few transparent misunderstandings and break-ups later, the guys get the gals, the show's a hit and everybody has a merry Christmas.
Anyway, back to the music. Tony-nominated Larry Blank's orchestration is marvelous, and gives the tunes, regardless of age, a mid '50s big band panache. Yet one still can hear ragtime rhythm in 1915's "I Love a Piano." That, and the first act finale, "Blue Skies," are the sharpest chorus numbers in the show. They're probably the closest we're going to get to experiencing, say, a "Leonard Sillman's New Faces" musical revue on mid-century Broadway.
The principals give strong, polished performances. They are, however, frequently upstaged by two very funny ladies. They would be Ruth Williamson as Martha Wilson, the inn's "get 'er done" concierge, and elfin Maria Knasel as the General's young granddaughter, Susan. Each gets a turn at "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy;" each belts it like a modern Merman (Susan is played at alternate performances by Caroline Farley).
A cork-popping potion of holiday cheer, the bubbly "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" is a pleasant kick- off to the holiday season.
For tickets and showtimes, visit EncoreMichigan.
John Quinn reviews local theater productions for www.EncoreMichigan.com, the state's most comprehensive resource for news and information about Michigan's professional theaters. Follow them on Facebook @EncoreMichigan.com.
