Holiday Inn

Ben Dibble & Ensemble

Irving Berlin’s music resonates with us as it did with his audiences 70 years ago. Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn will be appearing at the Walnut Street Theatre’s mainstage, 825 Walnut Street, through October 21, 2018 Featuring a score of Berlin’s favorites and many of Philadelphia’s favorite actors, including Mary Martello, Ben Dibble and Fran Prisco, Holiday Inn is a romantic comedy based on the movie of the same name. After Jim leaves Hollywood and buys a farm in Connecticut, he decides the farm cannot sustain itself.  With a little help, he decides to open up the farmhouse as an Inn and have shows on holidays. It is wonderfully suited to be produced on the Walnut’s stage which is conducive to big production numbers like Blue Skies. Beautiful harmonies fill the theatre as Jim (Ben Dibble) and Linda (Cary Michelle Miller) sing “Marching Along With Time.” The harmonies resound time and time again as the two voices blend together throughout the production. Of course Mary Martello is the rock of any production  that has her name on it. In Holiday Inn,she is a farmhand and the guiding force to set  a love story  straight. The set design is ingenious. A quick turn of a door signals an indoor scene to become a breathtaking starry night.  Several scenes later, rotating doors become a pivotal part of Ted Hanover’s (Jacob Tischler) dance routine with the ensemble girls in “You’re Easy to Dance With.” The ensemble is very talented. There is a very exciting tap routine in the first act and Jacob Tischler has an opportunity to show his dancing skills as well.  Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn is a feel-good production. You will feel good while watching it and you will leave the theatre happy you saw the show. For more information, see www.walnutstreettheatre.org. or ticketmaster.