Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
The musical has always been undiscriminating about form: over the years nearly all of the major productions in its history have been adapted from stage to screen, or vice-versa, and often back again. It seems incredible, then, that Irving Berlin's 1954 film White Christmas– a cash cow if ever there was one – was only transposed to the stage in 2004.
Written in the haze of post-war optimism that saw the musical peak as the US's number-one form of popular entertainment, White Christmasembodies the wholesome morality and nostalgic sensibility of 1950s America. While it is impossible to update the uniquely American value system of the time for a modern audience, in this sort of classic musical relevance doesn't matter. White Christmasis, like Dickens's A Christmas Carol, a universal call for compassion and charity that transcends the generations.
Played out against a showbiz background, there is plenty of scope for numbers that are expositional or pure entertainment. Indeed, it is astonishing to be reminded how many well-known Christmas and non-Christmas standards are drawn from Berlin's hit-heavy score. There is the eponymous seasonal snow number, of course, but also, to pick a random few, Happy Holiday, Love and the Weather, We'll Follow the Old Manand Sisters.
The 15-piece orchestra, led by musical director Michael Scott, gives all the large ensemble numbers a big-band flavour, but there is a subtle shift in register for the solos, which lend a personal intimacy to the overarching narrative. This is not just a parade of classics; there are characters and a story to be followed too.
Aled Jones, Adam Cooper, Amy Ellen Richardson and Louise Bowden deliver fine, rich performances as the entertainers who find themselves embroiled in a complicated love affair, while Sarah Head, standing in as understudy for Louise Plowright, makes good her name as Martha “the megaphone” Watson.
Randy Skinner’s choreography, meanwhile, is an infectiously toe-tapping delight, all swing and soft-shoe and hard-tap numbers, delivered with impeccable timing.
Unabashedly sentimental, White Christmastransforms even the most cynical impulses into festive cheer. It's a perfect antidote to all humbuggery as 2012 approaches.
– Runs until December 17th
