Irving Berlin's White Christmas

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  5f, 6m, 1girl(s)

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by David Ives and Paul Blake

Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
Original stage production directed by Walter Bobbie

Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features 17 Irving Berlin songs and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake.

Image: 2008 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5f, 6m, 1girl(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptations (Stage & Screen), Christmas/Holiday
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences
Accolades
Accolades

  • Nominee: Two 2009 Tony Awards
    Nominee: Six 2009 Drama Desk Awards

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Details

Summary
Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander. With a dazzling score featuring well-known standards including “Blue Skies”, “I Love A Piano”, “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the perennial title song, White Christmas is an uplifting, wholesome musical that will delight audiences of all ages.
History

Paramount Pictures released the movie musical White Christmas in 1954. Directed by Michael Curtiz, the film starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, and featured 17 songs by Irving Berlin. The top moneymaker of 1954, White Christmas set a new record as Hollywood’s all-time highest-grossing musical.

The stage adaptation of White Christmas opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on 4 November 2008, after several successful engagements throughout the United States. Directed by Walter Bobbie and starring Stephen Bogardus, Jeffry Denman, Kerry O’Malley and Meredith Patterson, the show was an audience favorite; it returned to Broadway the following year, starring James Clow, Tony Yazbeck, Melissa Errico and Mara Davi.

For more on the show's history, check out the below article in Breaking Character:

Simplicity, Generosity, Decency: David Ives on White Christmas
by David Ives

Keywords
Performing Groups
PRINCIPALS
3 Women
3 Men
1 Girl

FEATURED
2 Women
3 Men

ENSEMBLE
Large singing-dancing ensemble consisting of 'Jimmy's Back Room' Clubgoers, Train Passengers, Inn Guests, Chorus Kids, Patrons of the Regency Room

CHARACTERS
Bob Wallace - late 20's to mid 30's, a superb singer with a crooning style who moves well
Phil Davis - late 20's to mid 30's, strong jazz and tap-dancing needed - a song-and-dance comic performer
Betty Haynes - mid to late 20's, a female singer of quiet beauty and charm who must move well
Judy Haynes - early 20's, strong jazz and tap-dancing needed - a major song-and-dance performer
General Henry Waverly - late 50's to mid 60's, with the exception of one line, a non-singing role
Martha Watson - late 40's to mid 60's, a winning, appealing character-comedienne
Susan Waverly - 9 years old, she must have an excellent belt voice and be able to move well
Ralph Sheldrake - mid to late 30's
Rita - mid 20's to early 30's
Rhoda - mid 20's to early 30's
Ezekiel Foster - mid 40's to late 50's
Mike - mid 20's to late 30's
Tessie
Jimmy
Cigarette Girl
Snoring Man
Mrs. Snoring Man
Train Conductor
Dance Captain
Seamstress
Assistant Seamstress
Ed Sullivan Announcer
Regency Room Announcer - offstage voice
Sheldrake's Secretary - offstage voice
'Jimmy's Back Room' Clubgoers
Train Passengers
Inn Guests
Chorus Kids
Patrons of the Regency Room
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting New York City and Vermont. 1954.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A jolly live extravaganza that only Scrooges can resist.” – New York Magazine

“Enchanting as a first snow… Audiences drank it up like spiked egg nog.” – San Francisco Examiner

“White Christmas has ‘hit’ stamped all over it... There just aren't enough superlatives for this irresistible show.” – Evening Herald

“A big, boffo Broadway musical with a gorgeous score... the show left me twinkling like a Christmas tree.” – Star Tribune

“If you're hankering for a fix from the fifties, White Christmas is the perfect gift.” – Roma Torre, NY1

“You'll go home happy. A sure-fire seasonal musical. I don't see how anyone who loves Broadway musicals can fail to be pleased by so polished and ingenious a show. The songs are out of Berlin’s top drawer.” – The Wall Street Journal

“Glistens with irresistible, snow-topped charm.” – The Guardian


Videos

  • Show Clips: White Christmas

  • 2019 West End Trailer

Photos

  • Irving Berlin's White Christmas

    Image: 2019 US National Tour Production (Jeremy Daniel)

  • Irving Berlin's White Christmas

    Image: 2008 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

Music Samples

1. Overture – Orchestra
2. “Happy Holiday” – Bob, Phil
2A. “White Christmas Music Box” – Bob, Phil, Sheldrake, GIs
3. Sullivan Opening – Orchestra
4. “Happy Holiday/Let Yourself Go” – Bob, Phil, Ensemble
5. “Love and the Weather (Part I)” – Bob
5A. “Love and the Weather (Part II)” – Betty, Bob
6. “Sisters” – Betty, Judy
7. “The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing” – Phil, Judy, Quintet
8. “Snow” – Phil, Judy, Mrs. Snoring Man, Snoring Man, Bob, Betty, Passengers
9. “What Can You Do With a General?” – Martha, Bob, Phil
9A. General Scene Change – Orchestra
9B. Barn Curtain – Orchestra
9C. Always – Piano Solo
9D. “Vocal Warm–Up” – Singers
9E. Waverly's Regulations – Orchestra
10. “Let Me Sing and I'm Happy” – Martha
10A. “Martha's Exit/Into Porch” – Martha
11. “Count Your Blessings” – Bob, Betty
12. Into the Rehearsal Hall – Orchestra
13. “Blue Skies” – Bob, Ensemble
14. Entr'acte – Orchestra
15. “I Love a Piano” – Phil, Judy, Ensemble
16. “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun” – Martha, Betty, Judy
17. “Sisters (Reprise)” – Bob, Phil
18. “Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me/How Deep is the Ocean?” – Betty, Bob
19. “The Old Man” – Men
20. “Let Me Sing and I'm Happy (Reprise)” – Susan
20A. “Susan's Exit” – Susan
21. “How Deep is the Ocean? (Reprise)” – Betty, Bob
22. “Blue Skies Overture/ The Old Man (Reprise)” – Men
23. Count Your Blessings Underscore – Orchestra
24. “White Christmas” – Bob, Company
25. Bows – Orchestra
26. “I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” – Company
  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
20   Libretto-Vocal Book
1   Piano-Conductor

1   Reed 1 – Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone (Lead Flute)
1   Reed 2 – Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone (Lead Clarinet)
1   Reed 3 – Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
1   Reed 4 – Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
1   Reed 5 – Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone
1   Horn
1   Trumpet 1
1   Trumpet 2
1   Trumpet 3
1   Trombone 1
1   Trombone 2
1   Trombone 3 – Bass Trombone
1   Drums – Drum Set, Mark Tree, Triangle
2   Percussion – 2 Timpani (F to F), Glockenspiel, Vibes, Suspended Cymbal, Woodblock, Sleigh Bells, Chimes, Xylophone, Triangle, Castanets, Bell Tree, Metal Cabasa, Marimba, Piccolo Woodblock, Cymbal, Bass Drum, Ratchet, Tambourine
1   Keyboard 1
1   Keyboard 2 
5   Violin 1&2 (5 players minimum)
2   Cello (2 players)
1   Bass

A Full Score is available for this title for an additional fee. Please contact your licensing representative for more information.

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20   Libretto-Vocal Book
1   Piano-Conductor

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Authors

Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin

With a life that spanned more than 100 years and a catalogue that boasts over 1,000 songs, Irving Berlin (1888-1989) epitomized Jerome Kern’s famous maxim that “Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music.” Berlin wrote scores to 13 Broadway musicals, ...

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Author

Norman Krasna

Norman Panama

Norman Panama

Norman Panama (1914-2003) was a writer, director and producer whose long collaboration with Melvin Frank resulted in a string of memorable film credits that include The Road to Utopia, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and White Christmas.

Panama and Frank produced and co- ...

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Author

Melvin Frank

David Ives

David Ives
David Ives has been active in the American theatre for 50 years. His shows include All In The Timing, Time Flies, Venus In Fur, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza, and four verse adaptations of French comedies, as well as radio plays that are available onli ...
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Paul Blake

Paul Blake
Paul Blake produced the Broadway, London and touring productions of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. After 22 seasons as the Executive Producer of the legendary St. Louis MUNY, where he produced and/or directed more than 150 shows, Mr. Blake is currently enjoying his Emer ...
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