On Stage: "White Christmas"

Back again by popular demand is the holiday classic White Christmas:

Like an extra helping of mashed potatoes and gravy at Thanksgiving, who's going to turn down seconds of a White Christmas?

Last year, Huntington's 5th Avenue Theatre Company was one of only 20 community theater companies in the nation to get the first crack at putting up the Broadway musical, Irving Berlin's White Christmas: Musical.

They had such a good time swinging into the holidays 1940s style that Fifth Avenue is back dreaming and tap dancing again into the holidays.

Director Eddie Harbert, a cast of more than two dozen actors and a 13-piece orchestra present White Christmas at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 and Dec. 9-10, as well as matinee performances at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 4 and 11, at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium located in Huntington's City Hall.

Tickets are $15 and $12 for children 12 and under.

Harbert, who had just finished up a successful October run of Jekyll and Hyde, said White Christmas was such a tremendous success last year that they made a rare move and decided to stage the production again.

They've actually also got it on the calendar for 2013 as well.

"We're thinking about playing it annually," Harbert said. "It's a story that everybody loves, and everybody loves the music and so everybody loves the songs and it's just a feel good show. It's kind of like Wizard of Oz you know what is going to happen but you don't care because you feel so good in the end. Here in this rush of Christmas we hope White Christmas will become that Christmas tradition that everyone takes their families to see."

Based on the classic 1954 movie that starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and regional native starlet Rosemary Clooney (who hails from Augusta, Ky.), White Christmas follows Army buddies Bob Wallace (George Snider) and Phil Davis (Greg Kiser), first on the Western Front in World War II and then in their travels as performers on tour in the U.S.

They run into the talent-laden Haynes sister act, Betty and Judy Haynes (played by Jane Modlin, Brittany Adkins, respectively). When Judy and Phil fall in love, they conspire to reroute the guys to the Vermont lodge where the Haynes sisters were booked.

Although at first reluctant, Bob, gets on fire to create a fresh show with the ladies to help save the Vermont ski resort inn owned by General Waverly (Michael Byrd) by having a show in the barn of the inn. The new collaboration sets off sparks on stage and off as the two pairs of singers find their soulmates.

Kiser and Modlin are two of the only returning major cast members, although Modlin played a different role last year.

Assisting Harbert is musical director Chris Bowling, who directs a 13-piece orchestra, choreographer is Josh Meredith, and producing the show is Maxine Loudermilk, who is responsible for reeling in the hard-to-get rights for the show.

Loudermilk, who was just voted onto the Huntington Wall of Fame earlier this year and who heads up the non-profit City of Huntington Foundation, was applying every six months or so to get the rights to the musical of her favorite holiday movie.

Harbert said the dance and music-packed show is infused with new energy yet benefits greatly from having a year of experience - not to mention costly custom costumes and sets with which to work.

"Different people always make it different and we were able to come up with better things," Harbert said. "We have more snow, and the snow works better this year and so experience helps a lot. For me, last year was learning the show, and I think this year I have a better understanding of the show and I think that's helped us choreographically with new routines. This is also the biggest costumed show we have ever done and at this point will probably ever do. Having those things taken care of has helped me to be more creative about different ideas."

The wheeled set spins from New York to a train to an office in New York to the inn, and then barn in Vermont, as the actors stay on stage while the set revolves behind them.

While veteran choreographer Coni Anthony has done 20 shows with Harbert, she doesn't do Christmas shows, so young dancer Josh Meredith, who was taught to tap by Coni's husband Gene, is taking his first crack at choreographing a show.

"White Christmas in itself is such a dance show, I mean people watch it to see Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney, so I watched the movie a lot to gather inspiration," Meredith said.

Of course, front and center throughout the show are the timeless classic songs of Berlin.

The sisters swoon and sway with super-sized sky-blue ostrich feather fans to "Sisters," the entire cast frolics about on the number, "Snow," both songs from the original movie.

The musical is beefed up by other Berlin hits ("I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "I Love a Piano," "Let Yourself Go") and, of course, "White Christmas," one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time - written by Berlin for the 1942 movie musical, "Holiday Inn," softly crooned in the movie by Bing Crosby.

That song has sold more than 100 million copies, making it the best selling record of all time, and one that Crosby sang again in "Blue Skies," in 1946 as well as the classic movie, "White Christmas" in 1954.

To add to the holiday magic, White Christmas has added live musical entertainment downstairs in the city hall lobby (where folks buy tickets), as well as a cute, original Christmas children's pre-show that starts about 45 minutes before show time, and written by Stacy Richardson-Bond, who works in the children's department at the Cabell County Public Library.

With Paramount Players set to put up It's a Wonderful Life in a couple weeks, Harbert said it's an exciting time in the Tri-State as fans of the greatest holiday movies can see them come to life on stage.

"This year with us and the Players doing 'Wonderful Life' you have your choice of these perennial favorites and instead of just seeing them on TV you can go and see them live and let that become a tradition."