Stage Version of Movie Musical "White Christmas" to Call San Francisco Home for the Holidays

By Ernio Hernandez
22 Mar 2004

A new stage adaptation of the Irving Berlin moviemusical "White Christmas" is headed for San Francisco's Curran Theatre this holiday season.

Producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller (the team behind Avenue Q, La Bohème and Rent) have acquired the stage rights, according to Walter Bobbie (Twentieth Century, Chicago), who is signed on to direct the work.

Busy Bobbie will squeeze the production in before heading off to tend to his duties on the upcoming Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. The holiday musical will begin previews on Nov. 2, according to the director, and run through January.

Douglas Schmidt (Into the Woods) is slated to design the set. Randy Skinner (42nd Street) will handle choreography.

The 1954 film "White Christmas" centers on the story of two former WWII Army vets who team up for a song-and-dance act. The duo soon meet up with a sister song-and-dance act and head to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show. The lodge happens to be owned by the boys' former general.

The musical comedy starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney singing such Berlin songs as "The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing," "Sisters," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Mandy," "Geee! I Wish I Was Back in the Army," "Snow," "Choreography," "What Can You Do With a General?" and the classic title song.

The plan for the stage musical is to make it a holiday tradition in the vein of A Christmas Carol. The work will debut at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco — where such Broadway-bound stagings as La Bohème and Wicked have played in recent years.