Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Albuquerque/Santa Fe


Regional Reviews

Shiny Snow Flurries on the ALT Stage
Albuquerque Little Theatre

Also see Rob's review of All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth


Jonathan Gallegos, Emily Melville, Jessica Quindlen and Michael Rascon
Another fine job by director Henry Avery. Coming off two strong productions, Les Misérables and Grease, Avery can add Irving Berlin's White Christmas to his string of hits at the Albuquerque Little Theatre (ALT). The book by David Ives and Paul Blake is based on the 1954 movie with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. The story is mostly a vehicle for the songs. And what a string of songs: White Christmas showcases some of Berlin's best compositions. In addition to the title song, we get "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Blue Skies," and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." Who cares if some of these songs were born in other shows.

The story opens with army buddies Bob Wallace (Jon Gallegos) and Phil Davis (Michael Rascon) singing holiday songs to their fellow soldiers on Christmas Eve, 1944, the final Christmas before the end of World War II. Their leader, General Waverly (Thom Hinks), scolds them for the undisciplined fun, but they clearly respect the selfless warhorse. The next thing we know, 10 years have passed and Bob and Phil have become stars. They're about wrap up their performances in New York and to head down to the warmth of Florida when another army buddy sends them a note asking if they could drop in on the singing act of his sisters Betty Haynes (Emily Melville) and Judy Haynes (Jessica Quindlen). Phil is smitten with Judy and tricks Bob into following the sisters to their next gig up in Vermont. Turns out the hotel where the girls are booked is suffering from lack of skiing snow and close to failure. So the girls are canceled. Meanwhile, Phil and Bob discover the hotel is owned by General Waverly, so they decide to stay and try to rescue the hotel from bankruptcy. And of course everything gets crazy.

William W. Williams and H.B. Williams do nice work with the music direction, but good as the music is, there's much more going on here. The dancing, choreographed by Larry Joseph Aguilar, is beautiful. Aguilar is on his own string of successes at ALT. The production is a visual feast of holiday cheer. Vic Browder designed a wonderful set. Costumes by Carolyn Hogan and lighting by Josh Bien blend with the set design to create a dazzle of colors, especially as the show builds to its pizazz of a high-production climax.

The ensemble performances are solid, and the main characters shine. The four leads—Gallegos, Rascon, Melville, and Quindlen—all turn in fine performances, acting, singing, and dancing. Jessica Quindlen is absolutely on fire, bouncing and beaming. You can see the twinkle in her eyes from 50 yards. A fine cast and a wonderful production.

White Christmas will run at Albuquerque Little Theatre, 224 San Pasquale SW, through December 24, 2014. The show starts at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2:00 pm on Sundays. On Saturday, December 13, there will be an additional performance at 2:00 pm. On Thursday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 23, there will be 7:30 pm performances. There will be a final performance at 1:00 on December 24. Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors (65 and above), $18 for students (13 to college), and $12 for children (12 and under). You can buy tickets online at albuquerquelittletheatre.org or by phone at 242-4750, ext. 2.


Photo: Cassidy Allen Knight

--Rob Spiegel