Quad City Music Guild's “Irving Berlin's White Christmas,” November 8 through 17

Friday, November 8, through Sunday, November 17

Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL

A legendary holiday-film perennial and thrilling song-and-dance showcase for Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye will be brought to theatrical life when Quad City Music Guild closes the organization's 2024 season with Irving Berlin's White Christmas, its November 8 through 17 run treating audiences to a Tony-nominated treat featuring timeless Berlin hits in “Blue Skies,” “Happy Holiday,” “Let Me Sing and I'm Happy,” and “I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.”

In Irving Berlin's White Christmas, World War II veterans and best pals Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have become partners in a song-and-dance act after returning from overseas. Looking for love, they follow the duo of beautiful singing sisters Betty and Judy Haynes to a gig at a lodge in Vermont, only to discover that the nearly-bankrupt lodge where they were hired to perform is owned by their former commander General Waverly. With White Christmas, a cherished film classic is brought to life onstage in a production filled with dancing, laughter, and some of the greatest songs ever written, its score boasting such beloved numbers as “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” “Sisters,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” and the ageless title tune.

Directing and set designing Irving Berlin's White Christmas is Kevin Pieper, a Quad City Music Guild favorite on- and off-stage whose directorial credits for the organization include Elf: The Musical, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical and Sunset Boulevard. With Heather Beck serving as assistant director and assistant set designer, and Kethryn Weber acting as stage manager, additional members of the musical's creative team include: choreographer Kiera Lynn Martin; costume designer Connie McGinn; lighting designer John Weigandt; sound designer Ryan Mandle; props designer Matt Swanson; and producer Robert Crist.

Portraying White Christmas' song-and-dance funnymen Bob Wallace and Phil Davis are Aaron Deneckere and Daniel Williams, with Peyton Reese and Marissa Pedersen playing the sibling chanteuses Betty and Judy Haynes. With General Waverly enacted by Craig Woodard, additional members of the featured cast include: Adam Beck; Maggie Caliendo; Julie Funk; Michael Lotspeich; Annabel Mandle; Jill Matherly; and Natalie Scheers.

Also featured in the White Christmas ensemble are: Raelyn Bjorkman; Ava Ethridge; Abigail Krug; Karen LeFebvre; Eden Myers; Amanda Reinig; George Swift; and Luke Vermiere. The dance ensemble boasts the talents of: Brittany Anderson; Emily Brooks; Sara Laufer; Jensen Stoneking; Megan Winchell; and Zoe Zelnio. And with Deb Swift serving as music director and Brenda Turnbull her assistant music director and keyboardist, the show's pit orchestra is composed of: Lisa Crews, Kayla Sierra-Lee, Carly Jackson, Anne Phipps, Emma Thompson, and Kendall Hengst on reeds; Set Morales-Espinosa and Grant McBride on violins; Andrea Gustafson on cello; Brian Phipps on electric bass; Matt Fedele and Kurt Matherley on trumpets; Elden Decker and Nick Alt on trombones; Allison Nickel on French horn; and Chad Schmertmann and Ariane Call on percussion.

Quad City Music Guild's Irving Berlin's White Christmas runs in Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium from November 8 through 17, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $15-20, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.