Review: WHITE CHRISTMAS at the Eccles is Nostalgically Gratifying

The Equity national tour of Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, currently playing at the new Eccles Theater, brings exactly the kind of nostalgia one is looking for at this time of year.

WHITE CHRISTMAS (music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by David Ives and Paul Blake) is based on the perennial holiday favorite film. Buddies Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, in partnership with sisters Betty and Judy Haynes, put on a show in a Vermont inn to attract business and help out the proprietor, a former World War II general. Misunderstandings abound, but nothing threatens their chances more than the lack of snow and the threat of a green Christmas.

Sean Montgomery as Bob Wallace and Jeremy Benton as Phil Davis are a dynamic duo of solid comedic and musical talent, and they fill their iconic roles admirably.

Kerry Conte and Kelly Sheehan as Betty and Judy Haynes, respectively, have shimmering voices and plucky personalities that are wonderfully representative of the time period and also manage to mirror one another as if they were actually sisters.

The performances of show business icon Lorna Luft as Martha Watson and acting veteran Conrad John Schuck as General Waverly are bold, tender, and thoroughly enjoyable.

The dancing of the hard-working cast is superb, with many numbers that transport the audience back in time and into the celluloid of the film, as it were.

This is also thanks to the colorful scenic design by Kenneth Foy (adapted from the original design by Anna Louizos), costume design by Carrie Robbins, and lighting design by Ken Billington, which all fill their needs admirably and appealingly.

Directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner, as was the original Broadway production, the show moves swiftly along as it reaches the touchstones of memorable scenes from the movie and travels gratifying new territory along the way.

WHITE CHRISTMAS plays the Eccles Theater for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 11, 2016. For tickets, call ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artsaltlake.org.

Photo Credit: Kevin White. Cast of WHITE CHRISTMAS.

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