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Health & Fitness

"White Christmas," Based on the Film of the Same Name, Opens at Westchester Broadway Theatre

White Christmas, opened last night at the Westchester Broadway Theatre after a few preview performances earlier in the week. The music and lyrics are entirely the work of Irving Berlin. The show, an adaptation of the 1954 Paramount Pictures movie of the same name, will end its run on January 12, 2014.

White Christmas is an old-fashion romantic tale involving a pair of wartime buddies and two sisters set at a Vermont ski lodge nearly ten years after the end of World War Two. For one of the couples, it is love at first sight. But for the other couple, the going is not nearly as easy and when romance finally begins to bud, a misunderstanding leads to dire consequences. All turns out well however in the end which comes as no surprise to the audience.

As the musical reaches a very predictable close, a couple of surprises add to the fun and both directly involve the audience. One is participation by the audience with the cast in singing White Christmas. The other surprise won't be mentioned by Patch in this article as that might spoil the fun for unsuspecting theatergoers.

The energetic performers rarely seem to pause for breath. Irving Berlin's wonderful songs are accompanied throughout the play by an abundance of brisk dance numbers; song and dance are smartly and smoothly woven into the romantic plot. Many of the songs already existed before the concept for the film materialized, but they deftly fit in. The show is directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner.

Meet the cast

The Westchester Broadway Theatre revival stars Sean Montgomery (as Bob Wallace), Jeremy Benton (as Phil Davis), Kelly Sheehan (as Judy Haynes), Lindsie Van Winkle (as her sister Betty Haynes) and Jamie Ross plays retired General Henry Waverly, the wartime commanding officer for Wallace and Davis.

In the opening night performance, Nicole Kolitsas appeared as the general's precocious preteen granddaughter Susan Waverly; a role she will alternate with 11-year-old Julia White, a Scarsdale Middle School student.

Leading cast members appearing in the movie were Bing Crosby (Bob Wallace), Danny Kaye (Phil Davis), Rosemary Clooney (Betty Haynes), Vera-Ellen (Judy Haynes), Dean Jagger (General Waverly) and Anne Whitfield (Susan Waverly).

Songwriter Irving Berlin never saw White Christmas performed in live theater. The show premiered on stage 15 years after he passed away and nearly 100 years after he wrote his first major success Alexander's Ragtime Band. (Berlin died in 1989 at the age of 101.)

The stage play plot differs somewhat from the film's storyline but in both versions U.S. Army veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, a successful song-and-dance team, romance the members of a sister singing duo while rescuing ski lodge owner General Waverly from impending bankruptcy.  

The songs include White Christmas, Happy Holiday, Love and the Weather, I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, Blue Skies, Sisters, How Deep is the Ocean, The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, I Love a Piano, What Can You Do With a General, We'll Follow the Old Man, Love You Didn't Do Right by Me, Let Me Sing and I'm Happy, and Let Yourself Go.

Show times

  • Wednesday, Thursday and Friday matinees. Lunch at 11:30 a.m. Show starts at 1 p.m. 
  • Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m.
  • Sunday matinees. Lunch at noon. Show starts at 1:30 p.m.
  • Sunday evenings. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m.
All performances include lunch or dinner.

Ticket prices include lunch or dinner and range from $54 to $80 per person plus tax, depending on the day and the time chosen. Beverages and gratuities are not included in the ticket price. For reservations, call 914-592-2222.

Reservations can also be made at www.BroadwayTheatre.com. For group reservations, call 592-2225. For luxury box reservations, call 592-8730. Discounts are available for children, students, and senior citizens at selected performances.
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