White Christmas is a musical based on the Paramount Pictures 1954 film of the same name

White Christmas (film)

White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas"...

. The libretto is by David Ives

David Ives

David Ives is a contemporary American playwright. A native of South Chicago, Ives attended a minor Catholic seminary and Northwestern University and, after some years' interval, Yale School of Drama, where he received an MFA in playwriting...

 and Paul Blake, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The original production starred Brian D'Arcy James

Brian d'Arcy James

Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...

, Anastasia Barzee

Anastasia Barzee

Anastasia Barzee is a celebrated Broadway, Film and Television actress. She is a graduate of Frost School of Music at Miami University. Along with fellow Miami grads, the Grammy Award nominated Matt Pierson and Grammy Winner Gil Goldstein she has recorded a solo album, The Dimming of the Day, of...

, Meredith Patterson

Meredith Patterson

Meredith Patterson is an American musical theatre actor known for her Broadway performances, as well as her television and film work.-External links:...

, and Jeffry Denman

Jeffry Denman

-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...

.

Production history

Regional productions
The musical, titled Irving Berlin's White Christmas premiered in San Francisco in 2004 and has played in various venues in the US and Canada, such as Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Detroit and Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

.

UK tour (2006–2011)
The musical toured the United Kingdom over the Christmas seasons of 2006-07 (Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 and Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

) and 2007-08 (Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 and Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

). The cast for the tour included Craig McLachlan

Craig McLachlan

Craig McLachlan is an Australian actor and singer. He appeared in shows such as Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Bugs and Home and Away.-Biography:...

 as Bob Wallace, Tim Flavin

Tim Flavin

Tim Flavin is an American actor. He is the first American actor to receive the Laurence Olivier Award in 1984 for his performance in the musical On Your Toes.- References :* biography for "Singn' in the Rain", UK Productions....

 as Phil Davis, Rachel Stanley as Betty Haynes, Emma Kate Nelson as Judy Haynes, Ken Kercheval

Ken Kercheval

Ken Kercheval is an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series Dallas....

 as The General and Lorna Luft

Lorna Luft

Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...

 as Martha. The same production reappeared at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in November 2009, before transferring to The Lowry, Manchester for Christmas and into early 2010. Aled Jones

Aled Jones

Aled Jones is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter who first came to fame as a treble...

, Suzanne Shaw

Suzanne Shaw

Suzanne Shaw is an English actress, singer and television personality...

, Adam Cooper

Adam Cooper

Adam Bryce Cooper was a fictional character in the Australian police drama series Blue Heelers. He joined the cast in late 1994 while the programme was still in its first season...

, Louise Plowright

Louise Plowright

Louise Plowright is a British actress, who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and first came to prominence playing abrasive hairdresser Julie Cooper in the television soap opera EastEnders from 1989 to 1990....

, Rachel Stanley and Roy Dotrice

Roy Dotrice

Roy Dotrice, OBE is a British actor known for his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance in the revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten.-Life and career:...

 starred. The same production will play from November 2010 until January 2011 at the Sunderland Empire Theatre. Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers

Thomas Doane Chambers is a retired American NBA basketball player. Known for his strong shooting and high-flying dunks, Chambers was a NBA star during the 1980s and 1990s...

, Adam Cooper

Adam Cooper

Adam Bryce Cooper was a fictional character in the Australian police drama series Blue Heelers. He joined the cast in late 1994 while the programme was still in its first season...

, Rachel Stanley, Louise Bowden, Ken Kercheval

Ken Kercheval

Ken Kercheval is an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series Dallas....

 and Kerry Washington currently star in the show.

Broadway 2008-09 and US tour
White Christmas played a limited engagement on Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 at the Marquis Theatre

Marquis Theatre

The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...

, which started in previews on November 14, 2008 running through January 4, 2009, for 53 performances and 12 previews. The production was directed by Walter Bobbie

Walter Bobbie

Walter Bobbie is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City Center Encores! concert series...

 and choreographed by Randy Skinner

Randy Skinner

Randy Skinner is an American director and choregrapher, primarily for the stage. He has been nominated three times for Tony Awards and twice for Drama Desk Awards for choreography.-Biography:...

. The cast featured Stephen Bogardus

Stephen Bogardus

-Biography:Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Bogardus graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1972 and Princeton University in 1976, where he was a member of the Princeton Nassoons and the Princeton Triangle Club.-Career:...

, Kerry O'Malley, Jeffry Denman, Meredith Patterson

Meredith Patterson

Meredith Patterson is an American musical theatre actor known for her Broadway performances, as well as her television and film work.-External links:...

, Susan Mansur and Charles Dean, all of whom had performed in regional productions.

Australian/Victorian Premiere 2009 performance
The Musical was performed by MLOC Productions Inc (www.mloc.org.au), at the Phoenix Theatre in Elwood, Victoria. An all new restaging, Directed by Judy Sullivan and Musical Direction by Geoff Earle (assisted by Jack Earle) with Choreography by Merilyn Young. The Cast will feature Peter Phillips as Bob Wallace, cabaret performer John Davidson as Phil Davis, Rowena Brown as Betty Haynes and Kate Knight as Judy Haynes. Featuring Simon Fitzgerald as General Waverly, Sally Fleming as Martha Watson, Olivia Seerup as Susan Waverly and David Higgins as Ralph Sheldrake. It's due to start its run on the 6th of November till the 14th and a second season from the 18th till the 20th of December.

2009 Broadway Revival
The musical returned to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, in a limited engagement running from November 13, 2009 (previews) through January 3, 2010. Bobbie and Skinner again directed and choreographed. The cast featured James Clow as Bob Wallace, Mara Davi

Mara Davi

Mara Davi is an actress, singer and dancer who made her Broadway debut as Maggie Winslow in the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line. Davi joined the now-closed The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway on July 30, 2007 succeeding Sutton Foster in the lead role of Janet van de Graaff...

 as Judy Haynes, Melissa Errico

Melissa Errico

-Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast...

 as Betty Haynes, Tony Yazbeck

Tony Yazbeck

Tony Yazbeck is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is most recently remembered for playing principle roles on Broadway in Gypsy w/ Patti LuPone , Gabey in On The Town, Phil Davis in White Christmas, and Alan Deluca in A Chorus Line. He was born in Riverside, CA and later moved to the east...

 as Phil, David Ogden Stiers

David Ogden Stiers

David Ogden Stiers is an American actor, director, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his roles in Disney movies, as well as his performances in the television series M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy...

 as General Henry Waverly and Ruth Williamson as Martha Watson. This production will also have a U.S. national tour, starting in Omaha

Omaha

Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 on November 1, 2009 and ending in Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 (January 5, 2010).

Critical response and awards

Critics of the Broadway production were unimpressed, including Charles Isherwood

Charles Isherwood

-External Links:* at The New York Times* at Variety...

 of The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

 who wrote that the show was as "fresh and appealing as a roll of Necco wafers found in a mothballed Christmas stocking." Nevertheless, it received two 2009 Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 nominations for Best Choreography

Tony Award for Best Choreography

-1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...

 (Randy Skinner) and Best Orchestrations

Tony Award for Best Orchestrations

-1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King...

 (Larry Blank). It also received 2009 Drama Desk Award

Drama Desk Award

The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...

 nominations for Walter Bobbie, Outstanding Director of a Musical, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Orchestrations, Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (Anna Louizos

Anna Louizos

Anna Louizos is an American scenic designer and art director. She is best known for her Tony Award-nominated sets for the musicals In the Heights and High Fidelity, as well as the London, Broadway, Las Vegas, and touring productions of Avenue Q...

), Outstanding Costume Design (Carrie Robbins), and Outstanding Sound Design (Acme Sound Partners).

Song list

Act I

• "Overture" - Orchestra
• "Happy Holiday" - Bob Wallace and Phil Davis
• "White Christmas" - Bob, Phil, Ralph Sheldrake and Ensemble
• "Let Yourself Go" - Bob, Phil and Ensemble
• "Love and the Weather" - Bob and Betty Haynes
• "Sisters" - Betty and Judy Haynes
• "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" - Phil, Judy and Quintet Member
• "Snow" - Bob, Phil, Betty, Judy, Mr. and Mrs. Snoring Man and Ensemble
• "What Can You Do With a General?" ... Martha Watson, Bob and Phil
• "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" - Martha and Ensemble
• "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" - Bob and Betty
• "Blue Skies" - Bob and Ensemble

Act II

• "I Love a Piano" - Phil, Judy and Ensemble
• "Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun" - Martha, Betty and Judy
• "Sisters (Reprise)" - Bob and Phil
• "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me/How Deep Is the Ocean" - Betty and Bob
• "We'll Follow the Old Man" - Bob and Male Ensemble
• "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy (Reprise)" - Susan Waverly
• "How Deep Is the Ocean (Reprise)" - Bob and Betty
• "We'll Follow the Old Man (Reprise)" - Bob, Phil, Ralph and Male Ensemble
• "White Christmas (Reprise)" - Bob and Company
• "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" - Full Company

Principal roles and Broadway original cast

• Bob Wallace – Stephen Bogardus
  Stephen Bogardus
  -Biography:Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Bogardus graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1972 and Princeton University in 1976, where he was a member of the Princeton Nassoons and the Princeton Triangle Club.-Career:...
  
   (Role originated in world premiere by Brian d'Arcy James
  Brian d'Arcy James
  Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
  
  )
• Phil Davis – Jeffry Denman
  Jeffry Denman
  -Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
  
  
• Betty Haynes – Kerry O'Malley (Role originated in world premiere by Anastasia Barzee
  Anastasia Barzee
  Anastasia Barzee is a celebrated Broadway, Film and Television actress. She is a graduate of Frost School of Music at Miami University. Along with fellow Miami grads, the Grammy Award nominated Matt Pierson and Grammy Winner Gil Goldstein she has recorded a solo album, The Dimming of the Day, of...
  
  )
• Judy Haynes – Meredith Patterson
  Meredith Patterson
  Meredith Patterson is an American musical theatre actor known for her Broadway performances, as well as her television and film work.-External links:...
  
  
• Ezekiel Foster/Mr. Snoring Man/Quintet Member – Cliff Bemis
• Mike Nulty/Ed Sullivan Announcer/Regency Room Announcer – Sheffield Chastain
• General Henry Waverly – Charles Dean
• Susan Waverly – Melody Hollis
• Martha Watson – Susan Mansur
• Ralph Sheldrake – Peter Reardon

External links

• White Christmas on the Internet Broadway Database
• New York Times review
• Original Cast Album on Sh-K-Boom Records