Diane and I saw the musical version of Holiday Inn at the 856 seat Festival Theater at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. The show was sold out. Diane and I watched Holiday Inn, the movie version (my review is here), so we knew the Shaw Festival crew would have to make changes. And, sure enough, the Black-face number from the movie got jettisoned and several other Irving Berlin songs were included. The singing was good. Of course, none of the dance numbers approached the performances of Fred Astaire but they were fun to watch.
After the performance, Diane and I checked in at The Pillar & Post hotel. They have an outside pool with water set at 90 degrees. Sadly, I did not bring my swim trunks. I paid a visit to STARBUCKS to sample more of that Canadian Blonde blend. We had an excellent meal at the Epicurean restaurant. The mild weather brought out plenty people. When Diane and I visited Niagara-on-the-Lake in November 2017, the weather was freezing and the streets were deserted. GRADE: A-
MUSICAL NUMBERS: (*songs in the original movie)
ACT I
Main Title: Overture*
I’ll Capture Your Heart Singing*
Little Things in Life
Blue Skies
Heat Wave
I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For*
Marching Along With Time*
Nothing More to Say
Shaking the Blues Away
White Christmas*
Happy Holiday*
Let’s Start the New Year Right*
ACT II
Entr’acte
You’re Easy to Dance With*
Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk
Be Careful, It’s My Heart*
Cheek to Cheek
Easter Parade*
Song of Freedom*
Let’s Say It with Firecrackers*
Nothing More to Say (reprise)
White Christmas (reprise)*
Finale
Glad you enjoyed it but not my thing. I would consider it torture to have to sit through this. Too many songs I detest, like Easter Parade and Cheek to Cheek.
Steve, the cast kept the show moving with their singing and dancing. You’d have to be an Irving Berlin fan to enjoy HOLIDAY INN.
Sounds like fun. Irving Berlin is not my favorite, but I do like a bunch of these songs and definitely enjoy the Niagara ambiance.
Jeff, the mild weather last week seemed to encourage tourists to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake. Plus, four big tour buses brought people to the Festival Theater for HOLIDAY INN. Two years ago, when Diane and I saw A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the weather was cold and nasty. The streets were deserted and we drove back to North Tonawanda as soon as the musical was over.
We were surprised at the audience for SCOTLAND, PA last night. I’m guessing partly it was that most shows are dark on Monday night, but it was really pretty full. And there seemed a lot fewer seniors than your normal musical. Plus, from the rowdy cheers at time it almost seemed like a cult-like audience. We had great seats in the fourth row on the side, and since it was TDF it only cost us $33 a ticket. Plus, it is one of the newer off-Broadway theaters, so there was plenty of space and legroom. It is one of the Roundabout Theatre Company productions. We all enjoyed it.
Jeff, I suspect most shows during THANKGIVING week will be well attendant. Glad you enjoyed the event!
Glad you had a good time. I would have enjoyed it, I think, as I like the movie, though that’s mostly for the dancing. Do you have any problems with the tightened border crossing coming back?
While you’re enjoying warm weather, we’ll be unlikely to get out of the 30s today or the rest of the week, with rain and possibly a little snow Thursday.