Just in time for the holidays, “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical” opens at Wharton Center on Tuesday and runs through Dec. 13.
The Broadway production, based on the 1954 film of the same name, features Megan Sikora as Judy Haynes, one of the female leads.
Sikora’s résumé also includes “42nd Street,” “Wicked,” “Oklahoma!” and a performance at the 81st annual Academy Awards alongside Hugh Jackman.
The State News spoke with Sikora about the upcoming production.
The State News: What has your experience been with the “White Christmas” production in particular?
Megan Sikora: The experience has been fantastic. The “White Christmas” family is very good at choosing well-rounded, gracious people to work for the show, so everybody is just lovely and considerate of one another.
SN These old Broadway musicals from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s gleam with nostalgia. What’s it like bringing that to a college campus when the audience will be much younger?
MS When we were in Omaha, the average age of our audience was in their sixties so you could just feel the nostalgia in the air.
I’m in Cincinnati right now and the average audience is in their forties and many of them are experiencing the story for the first time.
So I’ll be interested to see if there is that sense of nostalgia on a college campus.
I really hope that these movies by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly are getting watched because there is just such a raw talent there.
SN What did you want to bring to Judy as a character? How does that compare to Vera-Ellen’s portrayal?
MS As far as trying to bring something to the character that people recognize — Vera-Ellen — I just felt like her spirit was so free.
I really wanted to capture the smile that she had and that mischievous attitude that she had toward getting things done her way but enjoying it.
For me, I’m very similar to that personally, but I just try to be myself as much as I can.
You can’t put on this false sense of person or else it doesn’t come across, there’s no truth in that.
SN Is it hard to retain the Christmas spirit when you do the same production over and over?
MS Even though it’s a Christmas show, it’s to me a show about family.
Even though it takes place over Christmas, you could watch it anytime during the year and it has meaning.
So when I’m doing the show I’m not thinking about Christmas, it just happens to around me.
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It’s really about family and finding love and people making sacrifices.
For ticketing information, visit www.whartoncenter.com or call 1-800-WHARTON.
