Holiday show offers more than memories

By John Benson

entertainment!@vindy.com

There’s a good chance that in 1954, the iconic Bing Crosby film “White Christmas” showed at Cleveland’s Palace Theatre (now named the Connor Palace), which at the time was a full-fledged movie house.

Exactly 60 years later, “White Christmas” returns to PlayhouseSquare with its Tony Award-nominated production appearing Tuesday through Dec. 14 in the State Theatre. One person who played a large role in its creation a decade ago is theater veteran Randy Skinner (“42nd Street,” “Babes in Arms,” “Show Boat”), who choreographed the show that eventually landed on Broadway in 2008.

“As a choreographer, I had to kind of put on my thinking cap and decide, ‘OK, what kind of numbers do we need?” Skinner said calling from New York City. “It’s such a beloved film that it had this built-in excitement. That was a challenge. When you have a movie that’s so popular and you’re putting it on stage, it’s kind of that double whammy.

“You have to make it appropriate for the stage, which means you usually have to add songs to the score to flush it out for a full stage show, but then you have to deliver the memory of the movie to the audiences who are coming because they love the movie.”

Skinner said that’s where the fun part came in, picking songs from Irving Berlin’s inimitable catalog. For this story revolving around two showbiz buddies not only putting on a holiday performance at a Vermont inn but also seeking love, Skinner decided to add the amazing composer’s “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” “Happy Holiday,” “Sisters” and “Blue Skies.”

As far as the storytelling was concerned, Skinner said it was important for all those involved early on to pay really specific attention to detail, meaning everything had to say 1954. That included clothes, scenery, the choreography and dance number orchestrations. The idea was simply to add a level of authenticity that is often missing from other big-stage shows coming through PlayhouseSquare these days.

Today, Skinner is both the director and choreographer for the national touring production of “White Christmas” that is coming to Cleveland.

“As a director, I kind of returned it to a simple approach,” Skinner said. “There’s a lot of heart and warmth in this version. That’s always my take on shows, I love to dig deep and bring a real sincerity, particularly when you have a lightweight story.”