“Holiday Inn” Critique

The original 1942 film of Holiday Inn is a revered classic in American musical films. While it has a rather young life in the theater setting, the story is one that many would find familiar. A famous figure seeking a humble life, discovering fame is not all it’s cracked up to be. Vanguard University’s production of Holiday Inn was a charming, comedic tale with exceptional musical numbers.

Originally written by Irving Berlin and later adapted into a musical by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge, Holiday Inn tells the tale of Jim Hardy. Hardy is tired of showbiz and decides to live a calm life in a farmhouse in Connecticut. He shocks his fiancé Lila and best friend Ted in leaving their show in an effort to find something deeper. Once he moves in, however, his enthusiasm soon turns into anxiety and fatigue. He starts to think he’s not cut out for the farm life. This starts to change when he meets Linda Mason, the former owner of the farm. Combining their love for music, the two begin to bring out the shine in one another in an effort to save the farm.

Early on in the story, Elijah Munck’s Jim Hardy decides to leave showbiz for a calmer life and wait for his fiancé Lila (played by Gabi Paul) to finish touring with his best friend Ted Hannover (played by Brenner Farr). While this is the inciting incident to kick the story off, Hardy’s motivation for leaving the show feels lackluster. He explains he is tired of the busy performer life, but our lack of understanding and experience with this makes it difficult to see it through his eyes. The same goes for Lina Mason’s characterization, played by Logan Eliza. She is portrayed as lonely and rather bored with life, but her character ends up relying on Jim Hardy

to grow. This makes it slightly difficult to look at the play’s story critically as the characters fall flat on their motivations because of this. The same goes for Ted Hannover. We see Ted as Jim’s dancer best friend who is searching for his next partner, but his motivation stops there. He cares deeply about making it in showbiz, which paints him as Jim’s opposite, but it is not used as effectively as it could have been. While these drawbacks are script-related, the cast’s performances make it worthwhile to follow Jim and Linda’s’ journey to the end.

The script is charming and hilarious at times. Dry comedy keeps the script alive through the cast’s performances, as well as their delivery. I found myself laughing at the mere awkwardness between characters, and the cast plays off this dynamic very well. Jordan Ward’s portrayal of farmhand Louise Badger shines the most in comedy. Her line delivery and character dynamic between both Linda Mason and Jim Hardy makes her presence in each scene memorable. Logan Eliza’s portrayal of Linda Mason is a stark example of this, as she often responds with a dry tone and hesitation that keeps the audience laughing. The dichotomy between her and Elijah Munck’s Jim Hardy complement one another this way, as Hardy’s outwardness and enthusiasm play off of her realist perspective of the world. Munck and Eliza’s on-stage chemistry is notable as well, as they allow their characters to come alive in such instances.

However, this is sometimes hindered by the differences in the actors’ singing styles. Munck’s voice plays into Jim Hardy’s showtune-like background, while Eliza’s places more emphasis on vibrato makes her numbers more operatic. So, when listened to closely, it can throw one off from the song. Munck can be heard trying to catch up to Eliza’s note near the end of some bars, and the difference in their style makes it slightly jarring. Although, their on-stage chemistry tends to make up for this. One example of this is their rendition of “White Christmas”.

Munck’s character sings with confidence, providing a notable comfort for Eliza’s Linda Mason, before they transition into a duet that captures the audience’s attention. This ties into how well the ensemble and band contribute to the musical narrative of the story as well.

The musical aspect of Holiday Inn shines exceptionally in Vanguard’s production. The dancing ensemble and the band are synchronized in what feels almost methodical sometimes, having the actions of the cast and ensemble mirror the band’s music. When the tempo jumps, the ensemble’s feet pick up the pace. When the scene begins to wind down, we feel the piano wane and drift. The musical numbers are lively because of this. One notable number was throughout Act I, where we see the Holiday Inn have various holiday-themed performances, while Lila and Ted perform on tour. The ensemble transitions seamlessly between both performances and keep the audience on their toes (while tapping them to the beat). This also would not be done as well without the use of set space.

Just like Vanguard’s other productions, Holiday Inn shines with their use of the stage. Since Lyceum Theater’s stage is on the smaller side, their use of set space must be rather economic. Therefore, a lot of creativity must be utilized for bigger productions like that of Holiday Inn. The main design of the set features wall-like doors that open and close, allowing the set to be changed between the inside of Jim’s farmhouse and the barn, along with a projected screen in the back. By using these three aspects of the stage, transitions between settings is done well. This is clear in the musical number where Jim is moving into the house. We see the ensemble moving items back and forth from different parts of the stage in a chaotic fashion whilst Jim is singing in the center, dodging any items coming his way. The stage’s design and use of space allows for this scene to be both comedic and engaging, while also maintaining the immersion of the scene.

Overall, Vanguard’s production of Holiday Inn is cozy and just in time for the holiday season. The production takes us through a year of holiday performances with a love story intertwined. While there are various issues with the story and development of its characters, the production’s charming cast and dynamic performances make it worthwhile to see it to the end. The musical numbers are lighthearted and complement the tone of the story well, while using set design to its advantage. VU’s production of Holiday Inn is a treat for the upcoming Christmas season.