One of the worst-kept secrets in the theatre community (casting notices were public in recent weeks), news of the engagment was officially confirmed at a press conference Aug. 23.
Performances of the Walter Bobbie-directed production will play Nov. 17-Dec. 30 at the lavish 5,000-seat movie palace on Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit.
Tickets are on sale now at Olympia Entertainment.com, the Fox Theatre box office and through Ticketmaster.
The Broadway-style musical tells the story of two showbiz buddies (and World War II vets) putting on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn run by their former commanding officer. They also find mates (a sister act, no less) in the process.
The score includes tunes from the film of the same name, and from the extensive Berlin catalog. White Christmas features a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, choreography by Randy Skinner (42nd Street), set design by Anna Louizos (Avenue Q), costumes by Carrie Robbins (A Class Act), lighting design by Ken Billington (Annie), sound design by Acme Sound Partners (The Boy From Oz), orchestrations by Larry Blank, vocal and additional arrangements by Bruce Pomahac, music direction by Rob Berman, and casting by Jay Binder C.S.A.
No casting has been announced.
The show made its stage debut during the 2004 holiday season in San Francisco, earning solid reviews and enthusiastic audiences. Three concurrent commercial sitdown productions of it by the Bobbie-Skinner team blossomed in 2005, and two will play major venues in 2006 (in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit). The property is now also available to smaller resident regional theatres.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas is produced by The Producing Office (Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller), Paul Blake, Dan Markley, and Sonny Everett in association with Paramount Pictures. Music and lyrics are by Irving Berlin.
The stage production is based on the Paramount Pictures film, written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank.
For more information, visit www.whitechristmasthemusical.com.
