It’s only a LITTLE early for this post

You can’t quite see the marquee in this photograph, but we’ll get to that later. First, notice the happy faces, the shiny clothes. And the brightly lit awning, which in this case means only one thing: Broadway Across America.

This is perhaps the best live performance phenomenon since actual Broadway. You know why? Because it brings actual Broadway plots, songs, dance numbers, actors, set designs, and full-on awesomeness to places like Des Moines, Iowa, or in the case of this picture, Omaha, Nebraska.

We can’t all get to New York City when we want to. We just can’t. But chances are, there’s a theater near you – as in, a few hours’ drive and one meal in a drive-through away from your front door. And please run, do not walk, to the nearest ticket booth (they’re online actually, so you probably won’t need to run) and get yourself a seat for one of these performances.

I’ve seen a few, but my most recent experience was thus far the most amazing. It was Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and thus my title, as for some of you it may be a bit early for the holly and the ivy and Bing Crosby tunes and such. For me? Not so much. Halloween is the beginning of it for me. And this experience was like drinking Christmas spirit from a glass.

No Broadway-Across-America experience has ever left me quite this uplifted. The role of the housekeeper was played by Lorna Luft, who – I kid you not – is Judy Garland’s daughter. She has a big number somewhere in the middle, And. I. Cried.

No Broadway-Across-America has ever felt quite so actual Broadway for me. So when Lorna Luft belted out her songs and her line in this totally her own yet slight shadow of Judy Garland’s voice and mannerisms, I was seriously moved to tears. Sometimes you just know you’re living a once-in-a-lifetime sort of moment.

But the thing I loved most about the White Christmas production wasn’t the tears. It was all the happy. If you’ve seen White Christmas, you’ll remember it takes you back to a time when there were stage shows – not as a rare occurrence on special occasions, but at restaurants, clubs, and other places you might frequent on a Tuesday. This play made me feel I was there, at a traditional stage show put on by people who’d been preparing for it since they were 6 and first strapped on a pair of tap shoes.

The hard work behind the dance numbers in this production was evident if not during their awesomeness then certainly after them when the main character had to deliver a line and was delightfully out of breath.

Confession: There was on subplot I felt got watered down way too much from film to the stage. Other than that, this performance was perfection. and I’m so grateful to Broadway Across America for bringing it to my life.

Find one near you. Immediately. Theater tours are some of the most exciting any group can take.

Related posts:

1. A Classroom and a Show
2. The Old Post Office in Washington D.C.
3. Broadway Lights, Neon Nights