by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
It snowed in Daytona Beach last weekend! No, it wasn’t outside, but in the News-Journal Center, as Seaside Music Theater opened White Christmas on stage. This production continues through December 5th. Yes, in the final scenes of this Irving Berlin classic, there is snow on stage and over the audience as well. It was a fitting and dramatic finale to what was an absolutely wonderfully warm and fuzzy evening of Christmas sentimentality.
The plot is a little hokey and concerns two well known song-and-dance men who boost the popularity of a Vermont winter resort run by an old army buddy. Along the way they suffer the slings and arrows of romantic encounters with two show business sisters. But heck, you don’t go to see White Christmas for a cutting edge plot. You go because there are seventeen Irving Berlin songs, like the Oscar winning ‘White Christmas,’ the Oscar nominated ‘Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,’ ‘How Deep is the Ocean?,’ ‘Blue Skies,’ and ‘Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me,’ just to name a few.
You go because Director Lester Malizia has assembled some of the best vocal talent I have ever heard in any musical. The names wouldn’t mean much to Jacksonville residents unless you have been making regular trips to Seaside’s summer shows over the past few years.
The name Gary Cadwallader, who plays one of the dance partners, Phil, is well known in North Florida, not only for the many performances at Seaside but also for his directing talents of several shows at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine.
Go if you enjoy the visual experience of fabulous costumes. Costume Designer Brian J. O’Keefe has them by the dozen! There are twenty-five members in the cast, and each wears two or three outfits that run the gamut from clothing reflecting the l940s and l950s to razzle-dazzle showgirl dance attire and Christmas surprises.
My favorite number in the show was ‘I Love a Piano,’ which opens act II. It was a show stopper featuring twelve incredible dancers reviving the almost lost art of tap dancing. It was worth the price of admission
There are eighteen scenes in this two-act musical and each one is an example of such outstanding design and execution that I wanted to applaud each of them individually. It is obvious infinite care was given to the selection of the materials and colors. I never thought I would go wild over a train car that is moved onto the stage for only one song, but it was truly gorgeous.
The l954 movie that shows up on television every holiday season was based on a l942 movie, Holiday Inn. Both starred Bing Crosby. An interesting side note concerns actor Michael Swickard who plays Bing Crosby’s character Bob Wallace. Swickard bears an amazing resemblance to Bob Crosby, Bing’s younger brother who was also a popular band leader and crooner.
I have seen most of the Seaside Music Theater productions since my first review in l986 of Barnum and I can honestly say from top to bottom this is one of the best productions I have ever seen. Seaside has gone all out on this one to create a perfectly enchanting evening of musical theater. Tickets to a show of this quality on Broadway would cost you in the $100 range, but Seaside tickets are only $27-45 for adults, $22 for students and $20 for anyone younger than l8. In addition I appreciated the reasonably priced pre-show and intermission concessions.
Performances are in the Tippen & Josephine F. Davidson Theatre at the News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St. in downtown Daytona. Plenty of free, well lit street parking is available. For information and tickets call 800-854-5592 or visit their website at seasidemusictheater.org.
It is just a short trip to Daytona to enjoy a Christmas show that will put you in the mood for the holiday season. I know you are going to love it, especially the snow.
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