‘White Christmas’ to finally arrive for Westfield Playhouse audiences

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Andrea Odle has been dreaming of directing “White Christmas” for some time.

“I had this picked out about 2 1/2 years ago and then COVID delayed it,” Odle said of the musical originally scheduled for a Westfield Playhouse run in December 2020.

The Noblesville resident is directing Main Street Productions’ presentation of “White Christmas” from Dec. 9 to 19 at the Westfield Playhouse.

“We’re just polishing at this point, and we have four sold-out shows already,” Odle said. “It will probably be a sellout run before we open. It’s a timeless classic. The play is a little different from the movie. There are some different characters involved. The show is still about Bob Wallace and Phil Davis putting on a show in a barn to help the General.”

Noblesville resident John Whitaker, who plays Bob Wallace, is performing at Westfield Playhouse for the first time.

“I didn’t really know about it,” Whitaker said. “‘White Christmas’ is a part of a ton of family traditions, but it really wasn’t one of ours. Even beyond that, the show is different from the movie. Even what I did know of the movie, I was surprised how different the music was.”

Whitaker said performing “Blue Skies” in the first act is a huge dance number and lots of fun.

One big difference in the musical from the 1954 movie is, Wallace was played by Bing Crosby, a baritone singer. In the musical production, Wallace is a high tenor.

“So, there is no Bing in me at all,” Whitaker said.

Noblesville resident Katherine Conrad plays Betty Haynes.

“I’ve always loved the song ‘Sisters.’ My mom would sing it around the house when I was little,” Conrad said. “That attracted me to the show, the possibility of singing that. But I haven’t even gotten through the whole movie.”

Along with “Sisters,” which pays homage to the movie scene with the blue-feathered fans, Conrad said she enjoys singing “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun.”

“I love how it sounds,” she said. 

Westfield resident Sarah Seyfried is cast as Judy Haynes.

“I actually own the DVD of ‘White Christmas.’ One of my parents gave it to me a few years ago and I still haven’t watched it,” she said.

Her favorite number is “I Love a Piano.” 

“I learned to tap dance this summer, so trying that out as been really fun,” Seyfried said. “This is my first production since high school in Bloomington.”

Logan Laflin, who moved to Carmel in February from Michigan, plays Phil Davis. Unlike the other lead performers, Laflin said he grew up watching the movie.

“It was a favorite movie of my mom and grandmother on both sides,” Laflin said. “My mom and her sister are close, so they would always sing ’Sisters’ to each other. It’s their ring tones for each other. I watched the movie several times growing up.”

Laflin said one of the main numbers is “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing.”

“I get to sing for about a third of the song, and it’s all dancing from there,” Laflin said. 

Laflin displays his tapping dancing skills during “I Love a Piano” as well.

“I love big shows, and Christmas shows are always fun,” he said. “I saw the audition and I was champing at the bit to come out.”

Thursday, Friday, Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 2:30 p.m. For more, visit westfieldplayhouse.org.


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