White Christmas – Liverpool Empire

The classic Irving Berlin Christmas film, White Christmas has been turned into a heart-warming musical, that is sure to get even the grinch into the Christmas spirit!

10 years after their last Christmas of the Second World War, Captain Bob Wallace and Private Phil Davis are huge music stars. They’ve kicked off the festive season on The Ed Sullivan Show and plan on getting the red-eye (overnight) train from Grand Central station to Florida, to rehearse and try out their new musical revue. Whilst searching for a sister duo to be their opening act, they meet Betty and Judy Haynes and end up with them in Vermont – even stumbling across their old army general, as the innkeeper! The classic romantic comedy storyline ensues, boys meet girls, start falling in love, a misunderstanding happens but they eventually get the ending they are after and deserve. All with the added setting of Christmas – what is not to love?!

Jay McGuiness and Dan Burton, as Wallace and Davis respectively could be classed as a dynamic duo. There were moments when McGuiness couldn’t quite match Burton’s dancing, but he was definitely determined to try and keep up. You couldn’t fault his singing though and his character’s stubbornness was an equal match for Jessica Daley’s Betty Haynes. You were rooting for them to realise how much they cared for each other and how similar they truly were. Daley’s solo in act 2 stunned the audience to silence and we were hanging on to every word she sang. She was also the more level-headed sister to Judy, played by Monique Young.

It was a shame not to have a solo number from Judy, but Young was paired extremely well opposite Burton’s Phil Davis. Their dance routines were awe-inspiring and made you want to pick up a pair of dancing shoes and learn to dance like them. You could tell they were comfortable dancing with each other and trusted the other fully, to be able to pull off the routines the way they did. The four lead actors were supported greatly by Michael Starke as General Henry Waverly, Lucy Warway, as his granddaughter Susan and Lorna Luft as Martha Watson. If you were unsure of who Luft’s relatives were/are, as soon as she opened her mouth and sang, it was plainly obvious that she is from Musical Theatre royalty!

There seemed to be issues with the sound at the start of the show, with the sound being low and the audience not settling straight away, but after the first 10 minutes or so, it seemed to be resolved.

If you’re struggling to get into the Christmas spirit this year, then this is the show that will get you there!

White Christmas is at the Liverpool Empire until 31^st December 2022, and you can buy tickets from www.atgtickets.com/shows/white-christmas/liverpool-empire/

Reviewer: Jenn McKean

Reviewed: 7^th December 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★