If you’re on the hunt for a festive, feel-good show to get you in the mood for Christmas then look no further than Sheffield Theatres’ production of White Christmas. I knew very little about this show before going to see it and I could never have predicted just how much it would utterly blow me away!
George Blagden and Stuart Neal play Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, two American soldiers turned Broadway stars who are looking for a new act to join their touring show. When aspiring showbiz sisters Betty and Judy Haines (Grace Mouat and Natasha Mould) get the boys’ attention, the four decide to join forces over the holidays and perform at a remote ski resort in Vermont. However, after an unseasonably warm winter, can the four performers overcome their romantic trials to bring festive joy to Pine Tree and save an old general’s struggling inn?
This show is a wonderful amalgamation of a classic Hollywood film with a Broadway-style musical, two genres that favour dazzling sets and thrilling direction which Paul Foster did everything to uphold. Featuring the iconic music of 1950s songwriter and composer Irving Berlin, the show was glitz and glamour personified. This play had the most ambitious set I have seen outside of a Mischief Theatre production. The rather unruly swing did detract slightly from an otherwise beautiful rendition of ‘Count Your Blessings’ and my heart lurched when Stuart Neal began dancing atop a grand piano, but the set was nothing short of spectacular. I can only count my blessings that I wasn’t working at that get-in!
Alex Parker did a wonderful job with the musical direction and the orchestra sounded incredibly tight. The principal characters’ voices blended together perfectly and every section of harmony felt effortless and smooth. But it was Grace Mouat’s voice that sent chills down my spine every time we were blessed with another Betty solo. The choreography was as ambitious as the set and even more effective. With a chair sequence that Bob Fosse would be proud of and tap routines that hailed back to the golden era of Fred Astaire, there was something in it for everyone, helmed by the utterly entrancing duo of Natasha Mould and Stuart Neal. I cannot fail to mention Ewen Cummins and Sandra Marvin who played their respective roles with poise and charisma. And of course Ava Rothwell, a true star in the making, whose reprise of ‘Let Me Sing and I’m Happy’ made me beam with joy.
Rating: ★★★★★
‘White Christmas’ is playing at the Crucible until 13th January.
