It seems that every year, Christmas comes a little earlier. This year, Nashville gets its first tidings of yuletide cheer before Thanksgiving.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, based on the 1954 Paramount Pictures film of the same name, has the pleasure of featuring a song that the Guinness Book of World Records has listed as the best-selling single of all time (thanks to Mr. Bing Crosby).
The story is of nationally recognized comedy duo Wallace and Davis, as their holiday plans go “off-route” when Davis realizes that his good pal Wallace needs a little romance in his life. Switching their vacation travel plans without his consent, Davis lands the two in Vermont in the middle of a heatwave so that they can stay with the lovely Haynes sisters. In Vermont, they happen to find their former General has gotten into the inn-keeping business, but is struggling to pay his bills and keep his business in the black. There, our main character realizes that to win the heart of his love and to support his friend the General, he and Davis must race against the clock to put on a holiday show for the hotel, all within five days. But it won’t be that easy, as it will require something of a Christmas miracle to keep the love-struck Wallace on track.
This show, yet another wonderful piece of Broadway brought to Music City, brought back every bit of wonder and beauty which you expect from the Christmas holiday. This is, at least so far, the best production design I’ve seen for any show so far, offering tremendous sets, fog that floats just above the ground as the actors waft through it dancing, and a very special treat at the end (a surprise I won’t spoil) that brings the show to a very powerful close. Keeping with the standards of excellence, the performances were fantastic, the singing exceptional and the dancing as spectacular as one would expect.
The show also has a wonderful theme that actually ties into Thanksgiving, which is that no matter how tough our challenges may be, our friends will always see us through, and we will always have something for which we should be thankful.
This show was a great deal of fun and is perfect to put you in the mood if you would like to get a jump on celebrating the holidays. The show is running through Nov. 18. Tickets and information for the performances can be found online at tpac.org. And remember that you can keep wonderful shows coming to Music City by supporting the arts with tickets and donations.
