White Christmas May Receive Multiple Productions in 2005
By Robert Simonson
19 Jan 2005
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Brian D'Arcy James in White Christmas
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White Christmas, the new stage musical based on the 1954 holiday film, was such a hit at San Francisco's Curran Theatre during the recent holiday season that it may spread joy nationwide this coming fall.
Director Walter Bobbie, speaking at a Jan. 19 sneak preview of his show Sweet Charity, said White Christmas had sparked interest from many corners of the United States.
"We had a lot of requests to do the show," Bobbie told Playbill.com. "We're meeting next week to see how we can handle all of this, but there's a lot of interest. We may try to do multiple productions next year. Eventually, it will come [to New York], but that's all being planned right now."
Brian d'Arcy James, Anastasia Barzee, Jeffry Denman and Meredith Patterson starred in the work which began previews Nov. 3, 2004 and opened Nov. 9 for a run through Jan. 1.
The Producing Office, Paul Blake, Sonny Everett and Dan Markley in association with Paramount Pictures presented the stage musical.
James (Titanic) and Denman ( The Producers) filled the roles made famous by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye opposite Barzee (Urinetown) and Patterson (42nd Street), who took on the sister roles played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen.
The 1954 film "White Christmas" centers on the story of two former World War II 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.
David Ives (All in the Timing, Wonderful Town) penned the book to the new Christmas musical based on the Paul Blake's script for the world premiere stage adaptation at St. Louis' The Muny. The original screenplay was written by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank.
The original musical comedy starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen 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.
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