Aled Jones & Adam Cooper Lead White Christmas

Aled Jones and Adam Cooper will star in the stage version of Irving Berlin’s 1954 movie musical White Christmas, which is being revived this festive season, running at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 10 to 21 November 2009, followed by The Lowry in Salford from 27 November 2009 to 9 January 2010.

Second World War veterans Bob Wallace (Jones) and Phil Davis (Cooper) are now partners in a song-and-dance act after the war. Looking for love, the two follow the Haynes’ sisters singing duo who have a Christmas gig at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by their former army commander, General Waverly. Unfortunately, times are hard for the general whose mountain retreat is suffering from lack of snow. Romantic entanglements and plenty of good intentions ensue as the singers try to find a solution for the general.

Jones and Cooper are joined in the 30-strong cast by Roy Dotrice (as General Waverly), Suzanne Shaw (Judy Haynes), Rachel Stanley (Betty Haynes) and Louise Plowright (Martha Watson).

The 1954 film, which has become a fixture on the festive television schedule, was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. The score includes the Academy Award-winning title song first featured in Berlin’s 1942 film, Holiday Inn, which also starred Crosby as well as Fred Astaire.

The stage adaptation had its world premiere in 2000 in St Louis. On this side of the Atlantic, an earlier iteration was scheduled for a Christmas season at the West End’s Savoy Theatre in 2001, but was cancelled just weeks after its announcement (See News, 2 Jul 2001). The musical eventually had its European premiere in Southampton in 2006 (See News, 5 Sep 2006).

The stage musical has a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, based on the Paramount Pictures screenplay, and features Irving Berlin songs including “Sisters”, “Blue Skies”, “Let Yourself Go,” “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me”, “Snow” and “Count Your Blessings” as well as the title number.