Five festive musicals to watch at home this Christmas
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is back on tour over the festive period but, if you can’t make it to the show in person, we’ve got you covered with the musical movies you can watch – and sing-along to – at home to get you in the spirit of things.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Holiday Inn
Amazon (purchase)*
Before White Christmas came Holiday Inn which features the incomparable Bing Crosby singing ‘White Christmas’, one of twelve original songs written for the film by Irving Berlin. Holiday Inn stars Crosby and Fred Astaire as Jim and Ted, who make up a performance trio in New York City. Jim plans to give up show business and marry Lila, the third member of the trio, played by Virginal Dale. However, on the night of their last performance, she announces she instead loves Ted and wants to continue performing with him. Heartbroken, Jim leaves and eventually opens an inn, named Holiday Inn which only opens on holidays.
This is a romance movie filled with song and dance and the pursual of love interests. Upon opening, the film was described as “15 joyous holidays rolled into one”. The original film featured an incredibly offensive blackface scene which has been removed in current versions of this film.
The musical was adapted for the stage in 2014 and opened on Broadway at Studio 54 on 6 October 2016 with a cast including Bryce Pinkham, Corbin Bleu and Megan Sikora.
*The racist scene in the original film has been removed from this version.
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox Studios
White Christmas
NOW TV premium subscription
In 1954, Bing Crosby starred in his second festive musical film, White Christmas. The film takes place during and after the Second World War and, as with Holiday Inn, includes the classic titular song. Following the success of the previous holiday film, Crosby once again stars as a performer, Bob Wallace, in this instance entertaining his army division with Phil Davis (Danny Kaye). The pair get together with sister act, Betty and Judy Hanes (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in Pine Tree, Vermont. They arrive to discover the town without tourists and the landlord of the local inn in a panic and on the verge of bankruptcy. To save the inn, the four put on a show.
For the stage, White Christmas premiered at The Muny in St. Louis in 2000 and has since played venues across the US and Canada, as well as the UK on tour and in the West End and Australia. It is currently playing at the Liverpool Empire with tickets available here.
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Netflix
Released in 2020, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square features a soundtrack of songs all written by Dolly Parton who, of course, has a starring role as Angel in the film. Enjoy the classic Hallmark movie trope but as a musical. Christine Baranski is a cold wealthy woman who has inherited most of the land of her old hometown, Fullerville. She plans to sell this land to be developed into a shopping mall but is visited by an angel who shows her the damage this would cause to the Fullerville residents.
Yes, it’s cheesy and predictable but this film exudes so much joy, it could make even the coldest heart melt. The Hallmark movie plot perhaps may not be received favourably on the stage, but this is 98 minutes of escapism and fun.
Dolly recently developed a new Christmas musical show, Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which will have its UK premiere at the Southbank Centre in London this December, with tickets available here.
Photo credit: Disney
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Disney+
Is it a Christmas film? Is it a Halloween film? It has got to be Christmas! Tim Burton’s 1993 animated film is set in the fictional Halloween Town, where the residents work tirelessly each year to organise the annual Halloween celebrations. Pumpkin King, Jack, accidentally discovers Christmastown, the holiday town dedicated to Christmas and becomes enamored with the bright lights and rich colours of this magical new land. The film includes catchy songs such as ‘This Is Halloween’, ‘What’s This?’ and the ‘Oogie Boogie’s Song’.
The Nightmare Before Christmas has been presented in several concert versions, including in 2021 with singers including Danny Elfman and Ken Page of the original film, Billie Eilish and “Weird Al” Yankovic. As Beetlejuice closes on Broadway next year, could The Nightmare Before Christmas be the next Tim Burton film to make its full musical stage debut?
Photo credit: Entertainment One
Nativity!
Netflix and Amazon Prime
Just as nativity performances are tradition in schools, the film Nativity! ought to be a staple in all British households over the festive period. The film has been so beloved that it was adapted into a stage musical in 2017.
The plot of Nativity! follows an ordinary English primary school putting on its yearly nativity led by teacher Mr Maddens and his assistant Mr Poppy. Mr Maddens lies that Hollywood will be turning the nativity into a film to impress his drama school rival, Gordon Shakespeare, but this is blown out of proportion when Mr Poppy overhears. The teacher now must control the escalating situation without disappointment as he attempts to put on the best nativity ever.
Stage productions of Nativity! The Musical have included celebrity guest stars, such as Jo Brand, Jake Wood, Danny Dyer, Dani Dyer, Sharon Osbourne and Rylan Clark-Neal. New songs have been added for the musical, written by Debbie Isitt and Nicky Ager, in complement to the songs from the film. This year Nativity! Is playing at the Birmingham Rep over the Christmas season, with tickets available here.
This Christmas, get your musical fix with one of these films or let us know if we’ve missed your favourite! December is not all about panto, so grab a blanket, a hot drink, and some snacks, and curl up for a stagey couple of hours.