Interview: WHITE CHRISTMAS is a Christmas Card to the MSMT Faithful

“It is perfect symmetry to utter the words ‘Curt Dale Clark’ and ‘Christmas’ in one sentence because no one does Christmas better than he and Marc Robin.”  These were my words as moderator of MSMT’s third Peek Behind the Curtain panel discussion as I introduced MSMT Artistic Director, (Curt Dale Clark) and his concept for the Christmas in July extravaganza currently providing context for the theatre’s spectacular production of WHITE CHRISTMAS, directed and choreographed by Robin. The panel of several of the show’s stars, Kerry Conte (Betty Haynes), Darien Crago (Judy Haynes), and David Girolmo (General Waverly) joined Clark and me to share with the audience their experience on stage in the beloved Irving Berlin classic now running at the Pickard Theater until August 3.

The conversation began by talking about the immersive “Christmas in July” experience MSMT is offering its patrons. Clark says, “I had been kicking around the idea of doing WHITE CHRISTMAS in July for several years, and then one day when I was in the Broadway Deli, a woman told me she was planning a summer Christmas celebration for her family, and I thought ‘why not give it a try at MSMT?’ WHITE CHRISTMAS is the most recognizable holiday title and it lends itself to all the things we like about Christmas – the grandeur, the spectacle – so it was the obvious choice. Once we had chosen the show, [Managing Director] Stephanie [Dupal] and I planned to create a complete ambiance inside and outside the theatre. Our original plans were even grander, but there were budget considerations, so we fully decorated the interior of the Pickard,” Clark says referring to the thirty trees, yards of garland, wreaths, and lights, that adorn every nook and cranny of the lobbies and stairwells, “and give a hint of Christmas outside.”

Girolmo says the atmosphere is “invigorating” and the audience is even more energized before the show begins than they normally would be because of the environment.”

Conte notes that “You can’t help being in the Christmas spirit as you walk into the theatre seeing the nutcrackers, trees, and decorations.  Since I started doing this show, this [experience] feels the most like Christmas, and it’s July!”

Crago concurs, adding, “To me the definition of the holiday spirit is to be around loved ones.  I feel that on stage and being embraced by this community. The warm welcome and love we have been shown enhances the holiday feeling tenfold.”

The iconic nature of WHITE CHRISTMAS, a movie that is a beloved classic and a musical filled with Irving Berlin’s unforgettable melodies adds to the tradition of the show, but also challenges the actors to find their own interpretations of their roles. Clark

thinks this production of WHITE CHRISTMAS “does a great job of keeping the show in the time period it was written, adjusting the movie script just enough by fleshing out some bits and losing some others that are hard to do on stage.  The end result is a stage musical that is enough the same and different so as to be awesome.”

”I grew up watching the movie,” says Conte, “and it will always be in the back of my mind, but I am not Rosemary Clooney. I bring of lot of who I am to the role.”

Girolmo says, “The General is the character who changes the most. He doesn’t realize until almost the end that what he wants and needs is right there – that family makes home.  I don’t think much about Dean Jagger when I play General Waverly.  Perhaps the one moment from his performance that does stick with me is his seeing all his men there on Christmas Eve…the tears in his eyes.” Girolmo takes that inspiration to deliver the General’s touching monologue during which one can hear a pin drop in the wrapt Pickard audience.

Crago comments on the many fresh touches Director/Choreographer Marc Robin elicited from the cast, noting that she particularly enjoys some of the comedic moments like the awkward meeting among the Haynes sisters and Bob and Phil.  “Marc gave us the ability to make the scene our own, even while paying homage to the original source.”

The actors explore the humor in WHITE CHRISTMAS and the chemistry and bonds among them that make so much of it work so well. Conte observes that she knows Crago and Daniel Plimpton, who plays Phil Davis and is married to Crago, very well from touring in the show together and Will Ray from their college days and collaborations off-Broadway.

In addition, Crago finds “the book very clever with a great many good quips and one liners, as well as the opportunity for physical comedy.  Comedy works well when you trust your partners. You have to have good comedic timing. If you throw a ball into the air, you [have to] know it is going to be caught – that you are going to land the laugh line.”
Girolmo explains that comedy is hard.  I have the enviable task of being the setup man for Charis Leos [as Martha Watson].  I don’t think she has ever missed a punch line in her life.  My job is to lay it out for her, which is easy when you are working with a comedic genius like Charis.”

And as the talk turns to geniuses, Crago waxes eloquent about the direction and choreography of Marc Robin, with whom she is working for the first time. “He is a genius!  He has such a positive reputation in this business, and it had been a dream of mine to work with him.  I was in absolute awe when on the first day he came in with every bit of choreography and blocking in his brain transcribed onto paper. He approached every rehearsal with such grace and such a willingness to work with us.  He was so prepared AND so adaptable, which is very rare. What I adore and appreciate most is his ingenuity and creativity – the new ideas he brought to every number.  He created completely new takes on every huge production number that checked the boxes of nostalgia and feeling like an old Hollywood movie. I have never performed “I Love a Piano” in such a spectacular manner. Just when you think you’ve been wowed, he brings it up a notch, and there’s a new experience that blows your mind. I have never done a show where we got an end-of-number standing ovation such as we have here for “I Love a Piano.” [Then,too] Marc approaches his choreography from an actor’s standpoint. He asks ‘how can I further the storytelling or tell a backstory?”  I grew up in ballet where pantomime and movement tell much of the story, and I respect how he can incorporate storytelling into the dance.”

Not only is the choreography sensational and showstopping, but so are the visuals for this show.  Clark waxes eloquent about the design elements. “This is a big splashy Broadway musical patterned after a big, splashy Hollywood movie. My absolute favorite moment is the entrance of the ensemble on the Ed Sullivan Show with the girls in red outfits with poinsettias and the men in green suits, while the visuals change behind them like a set for a 1950s movie, and there are these red and green stripes….” He lists more breathtaking images before summing up: “There is a lot of glitz that keeps the audience thinking  we’ve hit a peak, and then we deliver a new peak, right up to the very end.”

panel shares some personal connections to the holiday which the show awakens in them. Clark shares a memory taken from a family photograph: “I was a little kid of four or five squatted down behind the Christmas tree just staring up at it.  I do think that says a lot about my life,” he jokes.

Girolmo remembers an early date with his now wife in which the couple attended a sing along of the movie WHITE CHRISTMAS at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre with its Wurlitzer organ.  “It was such a beautiful, romantic thing to do.”

Conte recalls watching the movie as a child every Christmas with her family, and Crago says there are so many memories of holidays past while performing the show on tour that surface. “Having been a performer in this show over the decades, I recall Christmas in places like Miami. You are travelling, so you create your family with the company and the community you are in and create memories that are fun, unexpected and heartfelt.”

And perhaps the emotional attachment to these memories and to this show are so powerful because as Conte observes, “WHITE CHRISTMAS is about so much more than just Christmas.”

The panel ponders the enduring message and takeaway of the musical. “I hope it inspires people to keep the spirit of Christmas all year long – to do something helpful for someone else,” asserts Kerry Conte.

“I think the show is a beautiful reminder to reach out to loved ones and to incorporate our holiday values [into our lives] all year round,” declares Darien Crago.

“Everything we do as actors is a love letter to you, our audience,” remarks David Girolmo. “Nothing could make me happier than to know you left the theatre a little happier, a little lighter than when you came.”

Curt Dale Clark expands that thought by summing up: “I see this show as a Christmas card to all those who have been faithful to MSMT for all these years.”

 

Photos courtesy of MSMT, Dane Whitlock, photographer

WHITE CHRISTMAS runs until August 3, 2024, at MSMT’s Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME 04011  www.msmt.org   207-725-8769

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