Photo by Marina Meretz.
Athen’s Theatre is a center for arts in the community of Downtown DeLand. Between the band performances, the Youth Academy and the countless plays and musicals performed there, this Theatre is truly a place of celebration for the arts in DeLand.
The performance that brings the most attention from the community tends to be the winter show. This December, Athen’s Theatre Presents “White Christmas the Musical.” This adaptation is based on the book by David Ives and Paul Blake as well as the iconic Paramount Pictures Film version from the 1950s.
I attended the evening performance on November 30 with my family where we were greeted at the door by the joyful singers from Blue Lake Elementary School. Once inside, it truly felt like a blast to Christmas past, with the entire theatre decorated festively. Everything from the acting, the costumes, the set and the environment of the theatre helped transport the audience back to a post WWII America. The cast and crew were really able to take Director Mayme Paul’s vision and bring it to life.
Out of the four, two of the leads are first time performers at Athen’s. Jandrea Novak, who brilliantly portrayed Betty Haynes, is an accomplished performer throughout Central Florida. What really shown bright was her incredible voice, especially in the songs “Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me” and “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.”
Her charming counterpart Chase Williams, who plays Bob Wallace, also blows the audience away with his beautiful voice. Whether it is alongside his best pal, Phil Davis or his lover Betty Haynes, his voice is utterly breathtaking. Based out of Orlando, Williams has countless credits, and can be seen in his other Christmas show “Grinchmas: A Who-liday Spectacular” at Universal Studios.
The other leading couple shined just as brightly as Bob and Betty. Returning actors Samantha O’Donnell and Nate Eliott had wonderful chemistry and truly embodied the roles of Judy Haynes and Phil Davis. They delivered a stunning performance, especially during the iconic number “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing.”
Something unique about this show was the intricate dance numbers done with a small but mighty cast. The tap numbers were clean and lovely to see on the stage. An honorable mention must be given to Dance Captain Tyler Ham, as his dancing truly elevated the performance. Every time he was dancing onstage, his beautiful lines and attention to detail amazed me.
Similarly, the incredibly talented Tianna Stevens, who portrayed Martha, completely charmed the audience and had us eating out of the palm of her hand. She did a wonderful job of showing all of the sides of her whimsical and fun-loving character, while absolutely bringing the house down during her numbers, “Let Me Sing and I’m Happy,” as well as the fantastic trio, “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun.”
The experience got better after every song, and the second Act took this show from being great to mind-blowingly fantastic. This production moved me and helped me get into the Christmas spirit. I am confident when I say the rest of the audience felt similarly, as everyone was out of their seats from the very beginning of the curtain call.
As if the magic of the performance was not enough, the cast greeted everyone outside as “snow” fell right outside of the theatre. It is safe to say “White Christmas the Musical” was another hit Athen’s Theatre can add to the books.
Photo by Marina Meretz.