EVERYTHING about the Mill at Sonning’s Christmas show sparkles like the fizz of pink champagne.
White Christmas, closely based on the 1954 film is, quite simply, gorgeous.
If you’ve ever wanted to escape the humdrum of a dreary winter day by stepping into your favourite holiday film, this is your opportunity.
Voices are exceptional, dancing is crisp and smooth as a fresh fall of snow, and what the company achieves in the intimate space of the Mill’s apron stage is nothing short of a Broadway miracle.
It’s a beautiful evening that sparkles with glamour and warmth from the moment you arrive.
Choosing from an absolutely top class Christmas buffet diners can sit down to enjoy a delicious feast of traditional flavours in the charming beauty of The Mill at Sonning’s Grade II listed restaurant, Christmas decorations twinkling in the reflected light of its windows.
Then patrons are treated to a dazzling night of entertainment brim-filled with talent, Christmas joy, and humour.
It’s seventy years since the release of White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, and the film still tops the charts as one of the most heart warming and cherished ever made.
The Mill’s production hugs tightly not just to the film’s storyline but also to its warm fireside glow.
Perfectly cast, the company boasts a full house of ‘triple-threats’ – actors who excel at acting, singing, and dancing.
With blended voices they croon their way through the show’s favourite songs, including Happy Holiday, Sisters, Count Your Blessings instead of Sheep, and of course – White Christmas.
It’s 1954, and in the fictional town of Pinetree, Vermont, two World War II veterans, now performers, Phil and Bob, team up with sisters Judy and Betty to put together a spectacular musical show.
Having heard that their beloved former commanding officer runs a failing hotel and risks ruin, they take their fun-filled extravaganza to the Vermont Inn to perform a Yuletide miracle.
But the foursome is also ripe for romance which, in the tradition of all the best musical comedies, never quite runs smoothly.
Interspersed with the cast’s superb dancing, and sung harmonies that could charm the fairy off a Christmas tree, the story fairly rattles along.
On opening night, the audience had the chance to join in with one or two festive melodies, experienced a change in the weather, and listened to music that got our toes tapping – it was certainly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas by the time the show closed.
Finally, I don’t usually rave about colour palettes, but White Christmas is gorgeously colour coordinated.
Costumes, props, stage, and even the piano, are softly muted pinks, blues, lilacs and yellows – the colours of shadows on snow.
Outfits are glamorous and beautifully tailored, becoming gradually more vibrant until the show ends with an intense splash of Christmas crimson.
In short, this is a delicious show that had us counting our blessings, and brought the opening night audience to their feet to give the cast a well-deserved standing ovation.
White Christmas, at The Mill at Sonning, can be seen until Saturday, January 25, with performances on most Tuesdays through to Sundays each week.
The cast will take a short Christmas break on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 23, 24, and 25.
Shows begin at 2.15pm and at 8.15pm on different days during the run, with The Mill’s pre-show lunch or dinner served beforehand.
Tickets, which include the meal, cost from £71.25 to £104.50 per person, depending on the seat.
For tickets and information, visit: millatsonning.com
