Starlighters first in area to stage Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’

By Diana Nollen

Starlighters II Theatre in Anamosa has been dreaming of a white Christmas for five years.

Patience and persistence have finally paid off. The community troupe is the first in Eastern Iowa to stage the new musical theater version of Irving Berlin's “White Christmas.” The show opens Dec. 4 and continues on weekends through Dec. 13.

The stage production, put together in San Francisco in 2004, made its way to Broadway in 2008. It's back for a limited engagement in New York through Jan. 3 and is on the road through major metropolitan areas.

And on a small stage in Anamosa.

Getting the rights to produce the show was “an interesting process” says director Brian Glick, 24, of Olin, who also is chairman of the artistic committee and vice president of the board at Starlighters II.

“We found out the show was being mounted five years ago,” he says. “Rogers & Hammerstein Theatrical Co. owns the rights and we went after it right away. We found out almost immediately that it was only being licensed to professional theaters at the time. They said, ‘We'll let you know when it's available to amateurs.'

“Five years later and after being very persistent, we got a phone call saying, ‘We keep getting your e-mails.' About a month later - early summer of this year - we found out we could get the rights and be one of the first to do it.”

A Sioux City community theater is the only other amateur troupe in Iowa producing the show.

The play is based on the 1954 movie starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

“It follows two World War II Army buddies who have developed a successful song-and-dance act in the '40s,” Glick says. “They wind up putting on a show in a Vermont inn owned by their former Army commander.” When the duo meet a sister act, “comedy and romance fill the air.”

The Starlighters cast features 21 actors from around Eastern Iowa. Playing the lead roles are Neal Caraway of Marion and Devon Broderick of Cedar Rapids as the Army buddies; Barb Andreesen of Center Junction and Sarah Olsem of Marion as the sisters; David Jepsen of Keystone as the commander; and Tracie Hodina of Cedar Rapids as Martha.

Staging the show presents two major challenges for Glick and company.

“The biggest challenge, number one, is the pressure of putting on a new show that people have fond memories of from the movie. Living up to that expectation is a bit of a challenge. Number two is our space. We have to have designs that work and fit our needs,” with limited room offstage in the wings and overhead to allow for big set pieces. “My biggest objective is making it work,” he says. “We won't have the huge spectacle, but figuring out what we can do to make the scenes work, we've done more than I expected.”

The show features music with a big band feel and such familiar tunes as “Sisters,” “Happy Holidays” and “White Christmas,” as well as several Berlin songs not used in the movie.

 “It's very jazzy, very brassy and has a lot of energy in the dance numbers,” Glick says.

Dance styles run the gamut from jazz and ballroom to tap, which adds to audience appeal, he says.

Starlighters charted another first with the recorded musical accompaniment for its production.

“Standing Room Only Entertainment supplies soundtracks for groups that can't afford an orchestra or have no space,” Glick says. “This guy in Florida records orchestras, but he didn't have this show. We worked with him months and months in advance. He got an orchestra together and recorded it for us. We had to pay extra, but it was worth it. We have a full sound system as if an orchestra's there but you just can't see them.”

Production budget for the show is about $10,000, which Glick says is a bit more than the troupe usually spends.

“We knew we were putting on something special that no one else was doing right now, so we wanted to do it up right,” he says.

FAST TAKEInformation: www.starlighters.org

What: Irving Berlin's “White Christmas”

Where: Starlighters II Theatre, 136 E. Main St., Anamosa

When: Dec. 4 to 6 and 11 to 13; 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12

Tickets: $14 adults, $13 seniors ages 62 and over and students kindergarten through college, at (319) 462-4793