Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS Opens at Lakewood Theatre Tonight

Lakewood Theatre Company continues its 60th season with a reprise production of last year's holiday hit, Irving Berlin's White Christmas. With stage direction by Dan Murphy and musical direction by Eric Little, the show features the song and dance talents of Thomas Lindsley, Tommy Stefanek, Leah Yorkston and Lindsay Michelet.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas opens tonight, Dec. 12 with performances running nightly through Dec. 22 (except Dec. 17) at 7:30 PM. There are also matinees at 2:00 PM on December 15, 16, 22 and 23.

The theatre is located at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State Street in Lake Oswego. Ticket prices are $35/adults and $32/seniors. Other discounts are available for students and groups. For additional information and tickets, call the Lakewood Box Office at (503) 635-3901 or order online at www.lakewood-center.org.

The story: Filled with Irving Berlin's songs, and featuring a new book by David Ives and Paul Blake, Irving Berlin's White Christmas tells the story of veterans Bob Wallace (Thomas Lindsley) and Phil Davis (Tommy Stefanek) who have a successful song and dance act after World War II. When Phil meets beautiful sisters Betty (Leah Yorkston) and Judy (Lindsay Michelet), he plays matchmaker and introduces Bob to Betty. When the sisters travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Bob and Phil follow, only to find their former commanding officer; General Henry Waverly (Dan Murphy) is the lodge owner. Romantic sparks fly and snow falls! The score features a whopping 17 Irving Berlin hits including "Sisters," "Counting My Blessings," "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," "Snow," "I Love a Piano," "Blue Skies" and "How Deep is the Ocean." Topping it all off, of course, is the award-winning title tune, "White Christmas." Mr. Berlin himself considered the title song "the greatest song I have ever written."

Others in the cast include Annie Kaiser, Brooke Gatto, Sammuel Hawkins, Ashley Moore, Sarah Allen, Stephen E. Bryson, Timothy M. Johnson, Blake Isaac, David Smidebush, Robert Head, Jeremy Sloan, Elizabeth Erickson, Kylie Clarke Johnson, Sydney White, Ecaterina Lynn, Vanessa Elsner, Samuel Benedict and Stephanie K. Leppert.

The creative team includes stage director Dan Murphy, musical director Eric Little, choreographer Elizabeth Erickson, scenic and lighting designer Gene Dent, costume designer Allison Dawe, sound designer Dan Hallberg, technical director Kurt Herman, stage manager Felix Kelsey, prop master Michael Demaio and producer Kay Vega.

60 Years of Live Theatre: Founded as a not-for-profit organization in 1952, Lakewood Theatre Company is a professional theatre dedicated to the study and presentation of drama in all its forms; the training and development of actors; and the creation, maintenance and operation of a theatre in which to present plays and other forms of entertainment. Lakewood Theatre Company is the oldest continually operated, not-for-profit theatre company in the Portland Metropolitan area. It annually provides more than 400 theatre artists the opportunity to learn and display their craft and attracts more than 40,000 people to its shows.

Pictured: Thomas Lindsley as Bob Wallace and Leah Yorkston as Betty Haynes. Photo by Lake Oswego Photographers.

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