White Christmas is one of those rare musicals that was a movie first, stage show second. The iconic movie, released in 1954, starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, and was based on the songs of Irving Berlin, most notably the title song, “White Christmas.” The stage version wasn’t produced until over 50 years later, doing a holiday season run on Broadway both in 2008 and 2009. The Broadway production was highly successful, going on to national tours and garnering several Tony and Drama Desk nominations. The stage adaptation, written by David Ives and Paul Blake, gives us a story with slightly different emphases than the film’s, focusing more on song and dance numbers. As one critic explained, “It’s surprisingly fresh yet doesn’t feel sacrilegious [to the film].” Musical numbers were shifted around and added or removed, but all the songs are still Irving Berlin’s and the warm, nostalgic holiday love story is alive and well.
There are always several factors that go into choosing plays for the Harlequin Club. This year it felt important to do a heart-warming, crowd-pleasing production that showed off the incredible talent and capabilities of our students. The heart of this club is incredibly strong, and this story is a great reflection of that. The student leadership and involvement continues to astound me and the support, friendship, and conviviality of the cast and crew is unique and very special. Every step of the way has been rewarding and enjoyable, even in our most challenging moments.
This production, with its multiple locations, epic dance numbers, and hundreds of costumes would not have been possible without the incredible talent, creativity, and support of Cheri Snook (technical designer/director), Jordan Brennan (costume designer), and Suzanne Safran (producer/business manager). I cannot adequately express how grateful I am to have a team that is so gifted, but also find ways to empower the students in leadership and creativity while maintaining an excellent sense of humor and comradery through it all. Another crucial member of the team is Phoenix Fritch, who I need to thank a thousand times over. Phoenix has assistant directed for me at West for 9 shows. I believe this started with me asking him to “help with auditions” five years ago and has steadily grown, especially with this show. For this production he is assistant director again, but also, assistant choreographer, music editor, sound board operator, and last-minute vocal director. Phoenix is a very gifted actor and performer himself, and I am incredibly grateful he spends his time at West with us. He is a tremendous support to me and his creative, yet practical and always capable, perspective makes these theatrical endeavors possible, and certainly more fun. And also, he’s way cooler than me and his pre-show words of wisdom to the kids (i.e. memes and pop culture references I don’t always understand), make him the most popular, hands down.
I really hope our audiences enjoy this show as much as we have enjoyed creating it. It has been a wonderful reprieve from the collective challenges of the past year and a half. Have a wonderful holiday season!
~Jessica Bostock, Director/Choreographer
