One of the most beloved holiday musicals to ever grace the silver screen will take the stage this week, giving local audiences the gifts of laughter, heart-warming romance and a bit of that Yuletide spirit they yearn for at this time of year.
Nearly 100 Ponte Vedra High School students have come together to present “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” which opens tonight (Dec. 8) and will run for six performances.
Directed by PVHS theater teacher Jason Nettle and choreographed by Maureen Straub Craig, the live version differs slightly from the 1954 Paramount Pictures film, but as Nettle says, “It’s still everything that you loved about the original classic.”
“White Christmas” tells the story of Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, two World War II veterans who have made a name for themselves as a song-and-dance team. When they stop in a club and discover a talented sister-act, the results are mixed. Phil is smitten with Judy Haynes while Bob and Betty Haynes don’t exactly hit it off.
Ultimately, the four of them end up at an inn in Vermont owned by Bob and Phil’s onetime army commander, retired Gen. Waverly. But there’s a problem. The unseasonably warm weather has discouraged tourists, thus endangering Waverly’s investment.
To save the inn from bankruptcy, the performers put together a big show in hopes that it will bring in paying guests.
Featuring some of Irving Berlin’s most popular songs, the show is a perennial favorite of audiences everywhere — even in Florida where white Christmases are the stuff of either memory or myth.
Junior Claira Williams plays Betty Haynes.
“I like how strong of a character she is,” Claira said. “She’s really almost like a mother figure to her younger sister, Judy, who’s more light-hearted and spirited. She’s more mature and has to ‘hold down the fort.’ It’s really awesome to play that role and associate myself with that character.”
Claira has performed in several previous shows at PVHS and has been the understudy for some of the leads.
And, despite living in the Sunshine State, she has experienced actual white Christmases.
“My mom and dad are from North Dakota and Wyoming, so we’ve gone there during Christmas,” she said. “I love the snow. It’s amazing.”
Junior Cairo Maughan, who plays Bob, has also seen white Christmases, both in Utah and during a trip to Switzerland.
Cairo, who has appeared in several shows at PVHS since his freshman year, enjoys the evolution of his character.
“He’s a really fun one to play,” he said, “because he goes through a huge change.”
One challenge Cairo faced was that the songs were written for a baritone or tenor, and he is a bass.
“I’ve put a lot of practice into that,” he said.
Sophomore Colby Ryczko plays Phil, a role he thoroughly enjoys. The character is a dynamic counterpoint to Bob’s commonsense reserve.
“It is so much fun,” he said. “I feel like I can be myself in a way. I can be so happy and very expressive.”
Colby, too, has experienced true white Christmases.
“I was born in Canada,” he said, “so for many years I got to see a lot of snow. I miss it so much.”
Maureen Straub Craig, a former professional dancer from New York who now teaches musical theater and dance at Heather Loveland Dance Academy in St. Johns, brings her own style to the show’s choreography. While much of the dancing is classic musical theater, she also had to teach the students tap.
“This cast really works hard,” she said. “I really push them and challenge them, and they just continue to rise to the challenge.”
In all there are 40 cast members, 30 students who work backstage and 23 jazz band members playing the songs live.
Nettle said he likes introducing his students to musicians like Irving Berlin. Music, he said, that has stood the test of time.
But there’s another reason Nettle finds “White Christmas” special.
Ten years ago, he and his future wife, Katie, performed in the show at Alhambra Theatre & Dining.
“I proposed to her at Alhambra after the show,” Nettle said. “We got married a year later.”
Currently, Katie Nettle is back at Alhambra, playing Betty in “White Christmas.” Nettle is directing and playing Waverly.
“This show has meant a lot over the last decade for us,” Nettle said.
