Home for the Holidays: Timeless Movie Memories

Holly Payne makes her Mobile Symphony with A Cinematic Christmas, reprising several songs she won praise for as Esther Smith in a recent production of Meet Me in St. Louis. Other recent credits include Gilbert, Arizona’s Hale Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, Hale’s The Addam’s Family, Hale’s No No Nanette and her favorite role of all Peter Pan. Holly was awarded Best Actress at the 2016 ASU Gammage Awards and attended the Jimmy Awards at NYU, performing on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre.

In Meet Me in St. Louis, Holly played Esther, one of the Smith family’s four sisters in this romantic comedy. She, of course, falls head over heels for the boy next door, while singing some iconic American songs made popular by Judy Garland in the movie – including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Playing a role so strongly associated with Garland can’t be easy, but Holly received a glowing review from Talking Broadway: “With a voice that is incredibly pure, strong and simply beautiful, Holly Payne is a knock out. The memory of Judy Garland’s film portrayal may still be very clear to many audience members but Payne doesn’t attempt to copy Garland’s style in either her singing or acting. Instead, with perfect character choices and a voice that is warm, clear and crisp, she makes the role indelibly her own.”

Holly says she learned something about the famous Christmas carol while doing the role. “Now I hear that song a little differently. It’s more beautiful, has more meaning, because Esther is using the words to try and comfort her sister …  and herself. She’s assuring them both that as long as they are together, they can be happy anywhere.”

- Mobile Symphony