Review: It's a WHITE CHRISTMAS at Broadway At Music Circus

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go…especially Broadway at Music Circus. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the Musical is here to warm up the holiday season through December 14th. It’s a piece with a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, and music by the prolific Irving Berlin that’s based on the 1954 movie, “White Christmas,” starring Bing Crosby. Linda Goodrich directs this festive take in the round, replete with recognizable Berlin hits like the titular number, “Sisters,” and “Blue Skies.”

This show works beautifully in the round, with the actors’ close proximity to the audience creating a sense of intimacy and warmth that enhances the cozy feeling of a Vermont inn at Christmas. The cast boasts many Music Circus veterans, including Jason Gotay, who was last seen here in Sunset Boulevard. Gotay plays Bob Wallace, one half of a famous musical duo. His partner, Phil Davis, is played by Michael Starr of Music Circus’s Kiss Me, Kate! They run into a talented sister act, Betty (Britney Coleman) and Judy (Keely Beirne) Haynes, who mesmerize the men (and the audience) with their cheeky number, “Sisters,” and some big feathers. The duos quickly become a foursome as they make their way towards a failing inn in Vermont and, unbeknownst to them, the men’s former commanding officer, General Waverly (Nathaniel Stampley). He has been trying to keep the place afloat with the help of his assistant, Martha (Vicki Lewis). The men join forces with Ralph Sheldrake (Andrew Eckert), the quintessential talent agent, to bring their military company back to Vermont for a Christmas miracle. With help from the General’s gifted granddaughter, Susan (Aniya Simone), the group stages a holiday show that is full of warmth, charm, and killer choreography by John MacInnis.

I left the show with a healthy dose of holiday cheer delivered with gusto by this cast, who balance nostalgia and freshness perfectly. The notes are rich, the performances are heartfelt (check out Lewis’s number), and the audience can look forward to becoming immersed in a beautiful holiday tale that gives its all…including a heaping helping of magical snow.

White Christmas plays at Broadway at Music Circus through December 14th. Tickets may be found online at BroadwaySacramento.com, by phone at (916) 557-1999, or in person at the Box Office at 1419 H Street in Sacramento.

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