The Troubadours are at it again poking fun at tradition and mingling two very different musical takes on the holiday for a satirical third. In 2023, the Troubies celebrate their twenty-eighth year lampooning Christmas at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. This time, they take the sentimental and amiable crowd-pleaser film “White Christmas” – the highest grossing musical film of 1954 starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen – and tie it into knots by combining it with the Beatles’ 1968 “White Album” which featured music every which way (rock and roll, blues, folk, country, Reggae, and you-name-it).This may not have been a marriage made in heaven, but it works – somehow.
A Pirates View of Christmas – Photo courtesy of the Colony Theatre
The Troubies really keep director/producer/adapter Matt Walker hopping in this mash-up of World War II patriotism and the revolutionary Beatles lyrics. When Bob Wallace (Rick Batalla) and Phil Davis (Philip McNiven) arrive at the snow/ski resort owned by retired WW II General Waverly (Matt Walker doing double duty a la “White Album”), they never expect to meet Judy Haynes (Suzanne Jolie Narbonne) and her sister Betty Haynes (Cloie Wyatt Taylor), a sister act with no audience in this snow-challenged Vermont December. With the Troubies “Back in the USSR (United States Stage Right),” all hell will soon break loose. And all backed up by the Troubadorchestra manned by Kevin Stevens (drums), Ryan Whyman (music director on piano), Carlos Rivara (bass), and Mike Abraham (guitar). Is it any wonder that Jack Frost pops in at the end?
Cloie Wyatt Taylor and Suzanne Jolie Narbonne – Photo courtesy of the Colony Theatre
The Troubies clearly recognize (and credit) the village it takes to pull together the production: Corey Lynn Womack (stage manager/props), Julian Amaro (costumes), Suzanne Jolie Narbonne (wigs), Anna Aimee White (guest choreographer), Robert Arturo Ramirez (sound), and lighting by Jack from the Colony, to name only a few.
Philip McNiven and Rick Batalla – Photo courtesy of the Colony Theatre
To quote the Troubadour Theater Company: “Has climate change got you dreaming of a “White Christmas” in LA this holiday season?…wake up and get your one-horse-open-sleigh over to the Colony Theater because the Troubies are back…a hippy, trippy, and-a-lil nippy take on the beloved holiday musical extravaganza.” WHITE (ALBUM) CHRISTMAS is the perfect holiday gift to yourself and your family (well, at least the adults in your family). This is a bright, splashy, hilarious take on the holidays – with a good bit of tongue-in-cheek. As always, the Troubies remain Los Angeles’ ambassadors of good cheer with this brand new world premiere 2023 holiday musical event.
Philip McNiven and Suzanne Jolie Narbonne – Photo courtesy of the Colony Theatre
WHITE (ALBUM) CHRISTMAS runs through December 23, 2023, with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Colony Theatre is located at 555 N. Third Street, Burbank, CA. Tickets range from $50 to $65. For information and reservations, call 818-558-7000 or go online.
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