A warm holiday feeling spread across the lobbies of the Topfer Theatre on Thursday. Bubbly sparkled golden. Hot food waited on buffets. Guests pretended that the weather outside was frightful. (It was not.)
Tom Lucenti and Kristin Bongiovanni
They were there for the opening night of “White Christmas,” the stage musical adaptation of the beloved 1954 movie that features Irving Berlin’s songs. This version relaxes some of the twisty turns of the movie script and adds some big, familiar Berlin numbers. But it’s really all about the holiday tunes, including the title song.
Heather Wong and Kevin Lorica
While at least one audience member told me she missed the screen stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Miles and Rosemary Clooney — well, who wouldn’t? — almost everybody else seemed pleased, especially with the dancing. The big, traditional tap numbers garnered the most applause.
Jake Nevola and Lauren Baxter
Out in the lobby, the cast mingled with the audience. Beware putting that many chorus kids in one place. It really turns into a party fast.
I spent a chunk of valuable time with Dave Steakley’s older sister, who gave me priceless insights into the youthful evolution of Zach Theatre’s artistic director.
She had even seen the Family Stone back when Sly was still part of the mix at the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969. Hold on, I said, Lewisville — now a bland DFW suburb — had a huge Woodstock-era pop festival? We need to know more about this.
The Family Stone, by the way, plays two concerts on New Year’s Eve at Zach’s Topfer Theatre. I’ll probably stop by the late show. I mean, how many times …