MUSIC
BY K E L S E Y A N N E R A N K I N
KEEPING CHRISTMAS MUSICAL
Enjoy simple holiday pleasures at The Shedd’s White Christmas
T
he yearly debate over Starbucks holiday cups and
mid-October Christmas displays can make this sea-
son a tough pill to swallow — not to mention the
stresses that unravel in the dead of winter.
Still, something undeniably contagious hangs in
the air — something simply gentle. For holiday cheer check
out The Shedd Institute’s more or less annual stage produc-
tion of a classic 1954 Irving Berlin movie musical.
White Christmas revolves around a duo of WWII vet-
erans, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis (played by Ward Fair-
bairn and Eric Blanchard, respectively) who go from sing-
ing in a combat zone to becoming song-slinging celebrities
after their return to the states. The boys quickly swoon
over two blonde sisters and fellow performers, Betty and
Judy Haynes (Lynnea Barry, Cyra Conforth). The plot ping
pongs between a tale of young love, catching up with old
war pals and singing for a snowy Christmas miracle. At
times, it’s a tad overbearing.
Between the show tunes and theatrical dance numbers,
however, something like a sip of hot cider on a winter night
seeps into your soul. Executive producer Jim Ralph says
the show’s simplicity is where the holiday magic truly un-
folds. “I know in modern times, some people get bored of
heart-warming and companionship,” he explains. “There’s
a 1950s approach that really got its magic from a gentle,
not a tragic, sense of life, but a chuckle with the world.”
Ron Daum (director), Caitlin Christopher (choreog-
rapher) and Connie Hustin (scenic design and painter)
worked with their staff to keep White Christmas nearly true
to film, Ralph says, although the team has taken a more in-
timate creative approach in order to respect Berlin’s talent
of bringing awe to simplicity.
“The feeling we want here is much less in your face
and really getting the nuance. We allow the magic of the
lyric to come out. Irving Berlin was capable, for whatever
reason, to express ideas or feelings that wound up being
CLUB
extremely emotionally resonant for people. It requires an
approach that’s much less theatrically brash.”
With soft ballads and catchy dance sequences, White
Christmas can make the grouchiest of Grinches toe tap —
and perhaps less glitz is what this holiday season needs.
“We hope and believe that anyone who experiences this
show will see a window into the past and into the heart and
mind of Irving Berlin,” Ralph says.
Let the ice melt off your shoulders and cozy up with an
intimate, heartfelt rendition of holiday cheer. ■
White Christmas runs Friday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 16, at The Shedd
Institute; tickets $28, $34 and $38.
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