Having seen the movie White Christmas dozens of times we couldn't wait to see it live on the Drury Lake Oakbrook stage. I had not read the reviews so was not warned that the plot had been changed and songs had been added. A significantly changed plot made for a disappointing evening for purists like my husband and me who love the movie version. Newcomers to the story might not even have been able to follow it. Additionally, the lead actor Sean Allan Krill (playing Bob Wallace) didn't seem to have his heart into the Sisters song and dance. He did a great job when singing and dancing, but we felt he was weak when it came to acting. The leading lady Gina Milo (playing Betty Haynes) wasn't the right personality for the role or perhaps the director misdirected. We think the makeup department failed when they put her into that big red wig. The play lasted 2 1/2 hours. At least a half hour was wasted by Dale Benson and Alene Robertson. The role written into the script for Mr. Benson was completely unnecessary and boring. Alene Robertson played the housekeeper/receptionist; her role was greatly expanded from that of the movie and was not entertaining in my opinion. It added nothing to the story. Ms. Robertson is a wonderful actress, but this role wasn't right for her. We gave this play two stars however, because the singing and dancing were wonderful as were the wonderful, heartfelt performances by Matt Raftery (playing Phil Davis) and Erica Stephan (playing Judy Haynes). We must also mention that the costumes were fantastic. I loved seeing the dresses, suits and accouterments true to the 1950's. The over three-hour (round trip) drive to the theatre was made even worse by our feeling that it just wasn't worth the drive--not to mention the $185 spent on tickets and dinner (through Ticketmaster). We'll have to think twice before coming to Drury Lane again.
