Review: White Christmas, UK Tour, at the Palace Theatre Manchester

Decorations are up; it's freezing; the turkey and cranberry sandwiches are out in the shops; and I am seeing my first Christmas show. 

Well if that's not proof that the festive season is fast approaching, I don't know what does. 

It was back to Manchester this time for a stage adaptation of a classic Christmas film... that no-one in our family has seen all the way through... (whoops): Irving Berlin's White Christmas. 

To be fair, I think it allowed us to watch the show as it's own thing and not compare it to the Bing Crosby version. This particular production was originally produced at Leicester's Curve in 2018, before running to the Dominion in 2019, and beginning a UK tour this year. 

The year is 1954. Army veterans Bob and Phil are now entertainers working on the Ed Sullivan show, and one night head to a club where they hear the Haynes sisters' act. Enamoured, they follow them to their next gig, a lodge in Vermont during Christmas. This inn oddly enough, is run by their old army general; and though he won't admit it, he needs their help. 

I remember watching a review from the Break A Leggers (LOVE them, definitely check them out!) from the original Leicester production; and the main point they made, which was spot on in my opinion is:

White Christmas is definitely a story of its time. 

This is a story set in the 50s, it's post-war and it's a Christmas story. Add all of them in together and you get the show's biggest problem: the plot is paper thin. 

Many of the stories around the 30s-50s don't have the most driven plots, and instead went for big production (I'll get to that later). In the case of White Christmas, if it was being made today, there would definitely be some parts that would not have happened. 

Not to mention the ending is so sugary, it was more calorific than my Dad's Amaretto, chocolate and cream dessert he had at Pizza Express before the show...!

But, what makes White Christmas off the hook compared to Anything Goes or Crazy For You though is a) it's not a farce; and b) because it is a Christmas story, and you can definitely get away with it more during Christmas stories than you can with.. well... "normal" ones. 

Moving that to the side, the other point the Break A Leggers made during their video was that director Nikolai Foster made the most out of having no plot by going all out on the production. And they are absolutely right on that too. 

It's big sets, flashy costumes (as and when/necessary), big lighting and most of all, big dance numbers. Choreographer Stephen Mear goes all out making sequences like Blue Skies and I Love A Piano stand out. Oh and snow - we do get treated to a bit of snow at the end. 

On to the cast, and my favourites were definitely Matthew Jeans and Jessica Daley as Bob and Betty, the couple with by far the better relationship and chemistry than the other. (Despite a classic golden-age musical misunderstanding.) 

The other person I want to highlight is the great Sally Ann Triplett (Piaf) as Martha Watson, letting her big alto chops loose with Let Me Sing And I'm Happy. 

Would I recommend this one? Would depend on what you're looking for in a show. If you're looking for something with less flash and more substance? Best to stay away from this one. 

But if you're looking for something that's fun, frothy and like a warm hug on Christmas morning, then this could be a nice choice. And also for someone who is wanting to escape for it. I won't deny it being pure festive escapism. For me personally, it was... well, nice. Like a cup of tea in front of the fire on a cold day, but with a bit too much milk in it for my tastes. 

White Christmas is playing at Manchester's Palace Theatre until 4th December, before moving onto Plymouth and Edinburgh.