Interview: Mitchell Greco of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS at Theatre Under The Stars

Mitchell Greco has been a part of the Houston theater scene for many years now, and he's known most widely as a talented director of musicals and a skilled choreographer. He has just started a new role as Associate Artistic Director with Theatre Under the Stars this year. Mitchell is directing Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, which opens December 9th and runs through Christmas Eve at the Hobby Center. BROADWAY WORLD HOUSTON writer Brett Cullum got a chance to talk with Mitchell about WHITE CHRISTMAS and what the holidays mean to him. 

Brett Cullum: Is WHITE CHRISTMAS your first directing job for TUTS?

Mitchell Greco: No, no. My first directing gig for Theatre Under the Stars was in 2016, a “TUTS Underground” staging of Richard O'Brien's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW.

Brett Cullum: I saw it. Yes, yes. I loved it because it was its own thing away from the film. 

Mitchell Greco: And then I did ALL SHOOK UP later on. 

Brett Cullum: Alright, I totally forgot about that you were ALL SHOOK UP. Those are two of my foundational shows, right there - transvestities and Elvis. Is this a new show for Theater Under the Stars? What made you pick WHITE CHRISTMAS?

Mitchell Greco: It's actually not a new show for us. We haven't done it in the past 15 years, but we first produced it in 2008. It's one of those titles that has come back around again. It is an incredibly heartfelt and heartwarming show featuring amazing Irving Berlin music. It's a holiday classic for a reason. It's one of the rare musicals that are based on movies, which I would argue is just as good as the classic Bing Crosby film. It's a big, giant Broadway musical full of holiday warmth and heart, and I can't think of a better reason to do it than that.

Brett Cullum: It's one of those things, though. You're going up against this iconic movie, and every time somebody does something like, oh, THE WIZARD OF OZ, or you just mentioned ROCKY HORROR. You are dealing with this cultural zeitgeist, this pop culture moment, where these films are so deeply ingrained in people's minds. The are people who walk around with WHITE CHRISTMAS, living rent-free, memorized in their heads with Bing Crosby singing the songs. So how do you approach it? 

Mitchell Greco: You don't fight it. I think it's actually an asset. I think it's a power that people bring into the room whenever they see the show. They bring memories of watching WHITE CHRISTMAS with their families growing up. They bring memories of singing the songs in the choir. And I think all those things help invigorate the show. And we can't, as a company, putting this on; we're not fighting against Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. They're part of the story, they're part of the legacy that we're putting on stage. Our job is to add to it and delve deeply into what makes WHITE CHRISTMAS such a special show. It's ultimately, for me, about a community that comes together to lift someone up who's in need, and that is such a powerful message for Christmas, and it's timeless. We have these incredible Irving Berlin songs, and there's so much dancing. It is a lavish set and costume package, but at the end of the day, it's about people coming together to lift someone up who's in need. It's so sweet.

Brett Cullum: Who's in the cast of this one?

Mitchell Greco: Some TUTS, regulars that y'all might know, Courtney Markowitz, she's been in several things with us, MARY POPPINS and RAGTIME, she plays a Betty, who's the Rosemary Clooney part. Kevin Cooney, a long-time TUTS family member. I mean, his first show was in the 1973 production of SOUTH PACIFIC, famously at Miller Outdoor Theater, where there was a lagoon on stage.

They're mostly local. We have 3 or 4 cast members who are from out of town, but for the most part, this is an all-Houston-based cast. Because we have so many talented people here in this town. I'm just so happy that we found ways to showcase them. 

Brett Cullum: Yeah, no, we have a ton of talent here, it's crazy. It's always hard to kind of do these shows in Houston, because you talk about WHITE CHRISTMAS, and I don't think that Houston has had a white Christmas in (save for one fluky year where we had one) in my recent memory. I was talking to some people who are doing another holiday show, and they were like, “It's really hard to get into the holiday spirit when it's 85 degrees outside.” 

Mitchell Greco: You know, it might be, in all honesty. By the time our performance is, it may still be in the low 80s, but rest assured, it'll be snowing inside the Hobby Center.

Brett Cullum: I'm holding you to that. Again, congratulations on your new role at TUTS. What made you want to come to Theatre Under the Stars? 

Mitchell Greco: I've had such a long, deep respect and love for the organization. I made my professional acting debut on the TUTS stage while I was in college. I've come to mostly every show since then. I've always loved TUTS, and the job came at a great time for me to learn new things and meet new people. It all comes down to both the staff and board, but especially Dan Knechtges, our artistic director, who is such an inspiring and fearless leader. How could I say no? It was such a great opportunity, and I'm thrilled to be here.

Brett Cullum: Well, Mitchell Greco, what do you want for Christmas? Have you even thought about that?

Mitchell Greco: I haven't, no! And suddenly I'm like, oh gosh, what do I even say to that? World peace? Yeah, I mean, I mean, above all else, world peace, I just think something a little more realistic. I would hope, for us, that we take lessons from WHITE CHRISTMAS, finding the kindness within us to lift up each other and to support each other, whenever the support is needed. I wish humanness for Christmas. I wish everyone could embrace our humanity a little bit.

Brett Cullum: Kindness, empathy, humanness, it seems like that may be what we need this year. It's very interesting, but do you have a favorite Christmas tradition that you do every year without fail?

Mitchell Greco: I have two things. One is, I love going to the Lights in the Heights. It’s an incredible moment when people come together and celebrate. It's fun, it's joyful, we love it. The second one is every Christmas Eve, I watch IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Yeah, every Christmas Eve, I will pop on IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and I will cry at the end, and it's just my favorite, I love it.

Brett Cullum: I know folks who would say WHITE CHRISTMAS! What is it that you think endures about WHITE CHRISTMAS and makes it one of these things that's so viable to do every year, year after year? It has become a kind of its own holiday tradition.

Mitchell Greco: I think it's timeless. I think it's what makes it such an incredible show for TUTS. It is absolutely a show for the entire family, but it's not specifically geared towards children. It is the very definition of a family show. You can bring anyone from age 3 to 93, and you'll have an incredible time. I think the music is timeless. I've been doing my prep work for the past couple of weeks, and every day, I'm singing another Irving Berlin tune. He just had bop after bop, and he continues… they continue to endure.

Brett Cullum: You know, it's just one of those that comes around every year, and it's the thing that makes me feel like Christmas has arrived. When I see it, or hear it, or those songs, it just… it just registers that, and I don't really know of anything else that does that. So I will be happy to celebrate with TUTS, and everybody can have a WHITE CHRISTMAS. Even though we probably won't have one weather-wise, it opens on December 9th and runs through Christmas Eve. We are promised snow in the Hobby Center, and lots of great songs, and a lot of that, and of course, under the direction of Mitchell Greco, which is always a reason to go to a show, period.

Mitchell Greco: Well, thanks, Brett. I hope everyone comes and joins us at the Hobby Center.