You might be confused to hear the words "new musical next to Irving Berlin's name, but that's what Holiday Inn boasts. This isn't your expected, routine revival. The show, co-written and directed by Gordon Greenberg, reimagines the classic movie for the stage.
Jim Hardy (Bryce Pinkham) and Ted Hanover (Corbin Bleu) see their friendship and professional song-and-dance partnership suffer when Hardy decides he's had enough and wants to leave Broadway for a rural farm in Connecticut. But right away his plans go awry when his leading lady on and off the stage, Lila, played by Megan Sikora, opts to stay in the spotlight and seek stardom in favor of joining Hardy off the grid.
Left with no other choice if he wants to pay his bills, Hardy soon finds himself back in familiar space, producing a series of holiday-inspired musicals. The show is short on plot, however the ensemble cast, led by Lora Lee Gayer as Hardy's newfound love interest, carry the weight of the musical, sparking both revenue and revitalization.
Those with a rich fondness for Broadway will find plenty to draw them in and keep them entertained. Berlin's music is at once a throwback to another era and rich with universal emotion. It has a distinct power to conjure up both vivid memory and possesses a strong endorsement for living in the moment. Theatergoers are bound to fall in love with "White Christmas" all over again, witnessing its poignancy firsthand.
The show-stopping tune, though, is "Shaking the Blues Away," which comes int he first act with an impressive array of dancing coupled with jumping rope, a form of choreography that you didn't dream possible until you've seen it for yourself.