White Christmas

I don’t know whether folk do ever dream of a white Christmas but in the world of Irving Berlin at Christmas time, reality can be temporarily suspended for us all to dream and hope for better things and this wonderful musical certainly ticks all the boxes when it comes to making everyone feel happy and positive about life. This is a fabulous festive spectacular of feel-good joy that all the family will love.

As with most musicals the story line is weak - former soldiers turned successful showbiz duo Bob and Phil are searching for a new act and on meeting the singing sisters, Betty and Judy, they are immediately smitten. The four ‘unexpectedly’ find themselves performing together at a remote Vermont ski resort, which, they discover, just happens to be on its uppers due to an unseasonal lack of snow and visitors and is owned by their old army commander, Waverly. The question is - Can the foursome transform the hotel’s fortunes and will the snow start to fall in time for Christmas?

Whilst the entire cast are excellent, George Blagden as Bob and Stuart Neal as Phil were an exceptional pairing. Equally impressive were their respective love interests in the shape of the two sisters Judy and Betty (Grace Mouat and Natasha Mould). Their opening number of ‘Sisters’ was a great introduction to the cabaret-loving showgirls, whilst the Act 2 reprise of the same song by Bob and Phil, complete with feathers brought a touch of humor to the evening. Each of the four could belt out a tune seemingly without effort as well as dance and tap their way through the various musical numbers. This was especially so for the Act 2 opening number of I Love a Piano where Judy and Phil energetically sang and tap danced their way through the number ably supported by the ensemble.

The ensemble is superb. This is a show where the entire cast can showcase their vocal talents but more impressive yet is the sheer number of complex and fast paced dance routines, all of which appeared flawless.

The creative team have much to be proud of with this production. The director Paul Foster and his team have produced a fabulous show with stunning sets well suited to the staging area of the Crucible, complex choreography, terrific costumes and wonderful musical arrangements brought to life by Alex Parker and his capable musicians.

The show concludes with the entire ensemble, led by Bob singing the title song of a White Christmas with many in the audience singing along. Unsurprisingly, at this point ‘snow’ fell from the rafters covering the stage along with those fortunate enough or not as the case may be, to be on the front row or two.

This show is a fabulous evening’s entertainment as there is nothing not to like, so if you are struggling to find your Christmas spirit, get yourself to the Crucible, you won’t be disappointed!