Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is excited to announce the cast selected to lead its holiday show, White Christmas, scheduled to play December 6 - 18 at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (800 Bagby, between Walker and Rusk).
The all-time number one pop song and most-recorded tune in history inspired the classic film starring Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby and now a fun-filled musical for all ages to enjoy. White Christmas serves as the perfect framework for the presentation of Berlin's hit songs "Blue Skies," "Count Your Blessings" and the title song, "White Christmas." To fulfill the holiday experience, no production of White Christmas would be complete without snow, and TUTS' production does not disappoint: snow will fall throughout Sarofim Hall onto theater-goers below!
John Scherer and Michelle DeJean, whom TUTS audiences last saw together in Mame as Patrick and Gloria, will reunite on the TUTS stage once again as lovebirds Bob Wallace and Betty Haynes. Scherer's Broadway credits include Love Musik, By Jeeves and Sunset Boulevard. DeJean, a graduate of the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, boasts the recent TUTS credits of Urban Cowboy and Chicago. DeJean's other theatre highlights include Broadway's Chicago and national tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story and Chicago.
Matt Loehr, a familiar face on Broadway, plays charismatic song and dance man Phil Davis. Among Loehr's Broadway credits are Elf; Promises, Promises, Mary Poppins, and The Producers. Playing the role of Judy Haynes, who is the romantic interest of Phil, is Danette Holden. Holden's most recent TUTS credits include Kiss Me, Kate and Singin' In The Rain.
Kevin Cooney plays General Waverly, Bob and Phil's former commanding officer and proprietor of the Vermont inn. Joining him is Jay Tribble as Ezekiel "Yup" Foster, the Columbia Inn stage hand. Both Cooney and Tribble have also appeared on the TUTS stage in Guys and Dolls and The Sound of Music. Carol Swarbrick will return to TUTS as Martha Watson, General Waverly's right-hand woman at the inn. Audiences will remember Swarbrick's turn in other TUTS shows such as Whoopee!, Zorro - The Musical, and Grand Hotel. She lists 42nd Street, Whoopee!, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Side By Side By Sondheim among her Broadway credits. Cooney, Swarbrick and Tribble will reprise their roles from TUTS' 2008 presentation of White Christmas, which was programmed into the 2011-2012 season due to popular request.
The role of Susan Waverly, the general's precocious granddaughter, will be alternately played by Erin Cearlock and Sadie Sink. Cearlock is a student at Sampson Elementary in Cypress, TX, and Sink attends First Baptist Church School in Brenham, TX. Both are students at TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.
Also featured in the show is Bill Bateman as Columbia Inn's neurotic stage manager Mike Nulty. Bateman's Broadway credits include revivals of Gypsy, Hello, Dolly! and Peter Pan. Former Army buddy, Ralph Sheldrake, will be played by Michael Brian Dunn, who also has appeared in The Life, Cats, Big River and Sweeney Todd on Broadway. Playing alongside him will be Michael Tapley in a multitude of roles including The Regency Room Club Announcer, TV Announcer and Snoring Man. Tapley's credits include the title role in The Who's Tommy on Broadway, on national tour and in Germany. His latest TUTS credits include 110 In The Shade, A Wonderful Life and Guys and Dolls.
Completing the cast are Caitlin Cannon, Marybelle Chaney, Joseph Cullinane, Kurt Domoney, Aleka Emerson, Brittany Halen, Mark Jackson, Ryan Kasprzak, Elise Kinnon, Alissa LaVergne, Colin Pritchard, Peyton Royal, Jim Schaffer, Allysa Shorte, Selina Verastigui, Erin Wasmund, Paige Wheat, Jesse Wildman and Kent Zimmerman.
