***** I must preface my review of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” by telling you that I love the music in this work, and having seen it possibly 16 times, I look forward to its arrival each year ( and we all know that it WILL arrive somewhere). As I always say, one never sees a play the same way, unless they attend several nights in a row, and even that changes when it comes to live theater, as a cast of players feeds off the energy that the audience shares as well as their own. If there is something funny, and they do not laugh, that can alter the other scenes that rely on those laughs.

Every director has a different concept of how a play should be presented, and a different stage, set, choreographer and cast will also alter the play from start to finish. “White Christmas” is a musical based on the film with a book by David Ives and Paul Blake and of course, the music and lyrics of the amazing Irving Berlin. This special production is directed by Stephen Schellhardt who is constantly showing us his creativity, gracing many of our areas fine stages and with the choreography of Tiffany Krause and the musical direction of Kory Danielson, they have “knocked it out of the park!”

The story is a simple one, starting with the Christmas at the end of  World War II, and some of the soldiers doing a Christmas show for the base. The two main soldiers, who are the heroes of the story are Bob Wallace ( an amazing stint by Alex Syiek) and Phil Davis ( deftly handled by Evan C. Dolan). Their General Henry Waverly ( the always reliable David Girolmo) is a man they have a great deal of respect for, from the opening scene, which becomes of great import later in the play.

Very early in the first act, we move up to a more modern time when Bob and Phil are doing big shows. This is where they meet  The Haynes sisters , who have their own act. Phil is smitten with Judy ( played to perfection by Jessie J. Potter) and feels that her sister, Betty ( a powerful performance by Sophie Grimm) would be the ideal mate for his buddy, Bob. The girls have been hired to do a show in Vermont at a ski lodge, while the guys and their troupe are supposed to be going to Miami to work on a new show. Phil and Judy trick Bob into getting on the train to Vermont and they  go. It turns out that there is no snow, so therefore no people staying at the Inn, which it turns out is their General’s property ( and his retirement). The guys decide to work on their show there and do a special Christmas show to help their General be able to pay off the bills, and with one of their old platoon buddies Ralph Sheldrake ( Jason Richards) who is involved with The Ed Sullivan Show, set the wheels in motion.Speaking of knocking it out of the park, the second number in Act Two is ” I love A Piano” where Phil, Judy and the ensemble do one of the biggest tap numbers this side of “42nd Street” and this number alone is worth coming to Aurora for. This sparkling tap number was choreographed by Annie Jo Fischer.

 

This ensemble is something else! Brian Bandura, Matty Bettencourt, Emily Ann Brooks, Lydia Burke, Alanna Chavez,Clayron Ross, Carl Draper, Marisa Fee, Tim Foscz, Joe Giovanetti, Darian Goulding, Marcus Hardy, Rosie Hunter, Lacey Jack, Jake DiMaggio Lopez, Emma Ogea, Alexandra Palkovic, Morgan Schoenecker, Brian Selcik, Shelbi Voss and Matthew Wiedenbener- BRAVO! Also, I want to mention the extraordinary performance of Abby C. Smith as Martha Watson, The General’s concierge ( boy can she belt out a song- and she is funny as well!) and his granddaughter played by Tessa Mae Pundsack and Omi Lichtenstein ( tonight’s performer). An adorable role and played to perfection. No matter how many times you may have seen a production of “White Christmas” I truly think you should alter your plans and get out to Aurora to see this wonderful edition of this wonderful musical.

On the tech side, Jeffrey D. Kmiec ( a name you see quite often) did a magnificent set and the projections are mind boggling. The costumes by Mara Blumenfeld are stunning and the sound (Adam Rosenthal) and lighting (Greg Hofmann) as well as the electronic music ( Ethan Deppe) and props ( Aimee Plant) are perfect. By the way, if you haven’t been to the Paramount lately, there are a few new dining spots within walking distance. We opted for the Latin Fusion, Altiro at the corner of Stolp and Galena- super service and flavors.

Photo credit: Boris Martin

 

“White Christmas the Musical” will continue thru – Jan 11, 2026, with performances as follows: