Marriott Theatre's 'White Christmas' delivers plenty of holiday cheer

Quickly, before this review begins in earnest, a bit of service journalism: There are two classic Bing Crosby Christmas flicks that feature the indelible “White Christmas” plus a bunch of other Irving Berlin songs and have plots centering around showbiz folks and remote New England inns.

To help you keep them straight: “Holiday Inn,” from 1942, is in black and white, co-stars Fred Astaire, and takes place in Connecticut. Meanwhile, the eponymous “White Christmas” came out in 1954, was shot in color, co-stars Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney, and takes place in Vermont. Got that?

The fact that both films have ended up as Yuletide classics speaks to the strength of their mutual formula — Crosby plus Berlin plus A-list sidekick plus New England Inn equals Jackpot. But it’s also undeniable that “White Christmas” is the superior concoction ("Holiday Inn" makes cringeworthy use of blackface in one musical number).

That sublime balance of movie musical elements carries over into the “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” stage show, now enjoying a vibrant and happy-going production at Lincolnshire’s Marriott Theatre. Led by director and choreographer Linda Fortunato, this production's formula — a winning cast, marvelous dancing and warm aura of holiday cheer — results in a truly merry time. 

“White Christmas” follows the travails of Bob Wallace (Ben Mayne, charmingly crotchety) and Phil Davis (the kinetic Tyler Johnson-Campion), two popular song-and-dance men whose careers are situated between post-World War II America and the rise of TV and the Elvis-led pop culture revolution. Standards and double acts ruled both the nightclubs and Ed Sullivan’s airwaves — in other words, the perfect era for gauzy, holiday nostalgia.

Bob and Phil find themselves at a Vermont inn run by their old WWII commanding officer, General Henry Waverly (a great Rom Barkhordar). Due to an unseasonably warm December in Vermont, the inn is pretty devoid of skiers and skaters, which is very bad news for their beloved ex-CO, whose life savings are about to melt away like the now nonexistent snow.

The answer to this predicament? Put on a show, of course!

The two men are joined in this escapade by sisters Betty and Judy Haynes (Jacquelyne Jones and Kelly Felthous, both wonderful), another pair of nightclub performers, with voices of silk and hearts of gold. Some hijinks ensue, but the foursome are mostly heads down on the twin goals of pairing up with one another and mounting a great show (classic Hollywood plotting at its finest).

Along the way, the characters frequently break out into a choice roster of Irving Berlin tunes, most of which are from the original movie as well. Beyond “White Christmas” there’s “Blue Skies,” “Snow,” and “Sisters,” just to name a few. It’s a murderers row of great songs, with a fabulous commitment to catchy melodies.

Fan of the movie quibble: The play jettisons the song “Choreography”— a big dance number dedicated solely to telling Martha Graham and her ilk to go kick rocks — and replaces it with a perfectly okay Berlin song about loving pianos titled, imaginatively, “I Love a Piano.” While the number gets Act II underway in impressive style with Felthous and Johnson-Campion leading the ensemble in tap-forward showstopper, the sheer joyful pettiness of the original number is sorely missed.

Fortunato’s relatively stripped-down staging, however, allows her performers to take center stage throughout. As the inn’s opinionated concierge, Martha, Robin R. McGee delivers what might just be the show’s standout performance. The cast is so uniformly strong that it's hard to say, but McGee’s crack comic timing and knockout singing voice make as strong a case as can be made. In a few small roles, including one as a quintessential New Englander handyman, Michael Kingston also leaves a lasting impression.

One of the great appeals of holiday shows is that they wear their escapist pleasures so lightly. At a time when many theatergoers might be feeling the escapist urge quitely keenly, this “White Christmas” is a wonderful gift. You know what it is before you unwrap it, but it's exactly what you wanted anyway.