Brian d'Arcy James to Star in Christmas in CA

Broadway.com has learned that Brian d'Arcy James will star as Bob Wallace in the upcoming stage version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, premiering at the Curran in San Francisco this November. Jeffry Denman and Meredith Patterson are also in negotiations for the tuner, which will be directed by Walter Bobbie.

James earned a Tony nomination for his performance in Sweet Smell of Success. His other Broadway credits include Blood Brothers, Les Misérables, Carousel and Titanic. He received Drama Desk nominations for his off-Broadway work in The Good Thief for which he won a Obie Award and The Wild Party. His other off-Broadway credits include Ancestral Voices, Velvet Vise, Public Enemy and Floyd Collins. James was attached to star in the musical Harmony last season, but funding for the show fell through.

Denman, who would play Phil Davis in White Christmas, will be featured in the upcoming Paper Mill Playhouse production of Of Thee I Sing. He was an original cast member of The Producers, chronicling his experiences in his book A Year with the Producers. He has also appeared on the Great White Way in Cats, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Dream.

Patterson's was a replacement Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street on Broadway and went on to star in the Russian mounting of the musical. She also appeared on Broadway in The Green Bird. Other theatrical credits include Follies, Crazy for You, Singin' in the Rain, Nite Club Confidential, the Julie Andrews-helmed production of The Boy Friend at Bay Street Theater and The Underpants. She also has a role in the upcoming feature film Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement. She is up for the role of Judy Haynes in White Christmas.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn and finding their perfect mates in the bargain. The show features the songs "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Sisters," "How Deep is the Ocean" and the title song "White Christmas." The musical is based on the successful 1954 movie White Christmas which starred Bing Crosby as Wallace, Danny Kaye as Davis and Vera Allen as Haynes.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas will be directed by Bobbie, choreographed by Randy Skinner and feature a book by Paul Blake and David Ives. Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum the team behind Rent and Avenue Q are on board as producers. The show is scheduled to run in San Francisco from November 2 through December 26.