The historic Ingersoll Theater is set to dazzle audiences this holiday season with the “Irving Berlin White Christmas Revue,” a festive celebration of music, nostalgia, and culinary delight. Tickets went on sale Monday, Sept. 15.
It’s just one of a handful of performances booked for the renovated venue that’s finding new life in Des Moines. The venue closed more than a decade ago and is going through a $4.7 million renovation. Inside, 200 people can watch everything from musical performances to comedy shows downstairs; another 25 can sit in the balcony when the venue opens after Thanksgiving.
Connor Delaney, the CEO of White Oak Realty, bought the historic building at 3711 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines from longtime owners Lee Family Properties for $550,000 in 2022. He replaced the roof and mitigated water damage from rain and snow.
The move to reopen the theater came last February, when Delaney tapped VenuWorks to manage the theater. Steve Peters, the founder and CEO of the Ames-based company, also manages more than 50 theaters and performing arts centers nationwide, including Iowa State University’s Stephens Auditorium and Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, the largest dinner theater in the country, based outside Minneapolis.
Originally, the theater served as a cinema, built in 1939 by Des Moines businessman and theater operator A.H. Blank. It appeared in “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,” the 1950s and ’60s childhood memoir of Des Moines native Bill Bryson, now 73, author of the best-seller ”A Walk in the Woods.”
The Art Deco venue operated as a dinner theater for 26 years until 1978, when short-term tenants followed before the theater closed in 2014.
Delaney also brought on programming directors Max Wellman, the entrepreneur and musician who owns and performs at Noce Jazz club downtown, and Napoleon Douglas, a regular Noce performer, actor, and the artistic director for the Pyramid Theatre Co., Iowa’s sole Black theater group, as well as Renee Crowell, The Ingersoll’s executive director.
When to see ’Irving Berlin White Christmas Revue‘
“An Irving Berlin White Christmas Revue” is a live musical adaptation of the 1954 classic film, “White Christmas,” which features songs from composer and songwriter Irving Berlin. The narrative follows WWII veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis as they stage a Christmas show to save their former general’s snowless ski resort in Vermont. The show includes beloved songs like the title tune and “Blue Skies.”
The revue runs through December with matinee and evening performances at 2 and 7:30 p.m. starting Dec. 6 through Dec. 27. Ticket prices are set at $125 -135, available via Ticketmaster.com or TheIngersoll.com.
What other shows are coming to The Ingersoll?
Shows kick off on Nov. 28 with “Show Business: An Ingersoll Variety!” featuring a 10-piece show band led by Jason Danielson. Expect a night of show business hits, spanning Tin Pan Alley to Broadway to Motown and more.
On Dec. 8, “Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas” features the piano styles of the artist.
Dec. 21 brings Jim Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band from the three-time Grammy-nominated artist and American blues legend.
Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds kick off the new year on Jan. 2, 2026, with songs influenced by Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits.
For a full list of upcoming shows, times, and tickets, visit theingersoll.com.
Brunch and dinner at The Ingersoll
The experience wouldn’t be dinner theater without a dinner before the show. Doors open two hours before showtime with brunch for matinée performances and dinner for evening shows.
“…dinner and non-alcoholic drinks are included with ticket prices,” said Natalie Clement, marketing manager for the Ingersoll. “Extras would be if you wanted dessert, alcohol, or a starter. However, we are including a dessert with our holiday show.”
Brunch options include house greens salad or seasonal fruit cup; a basket of muffins, cinnamon rolls, jams, and whipped butter; and coffee, juices, tea, and iced water.
For entrees, The Ingersoll has a buttermilk pancake stack, Belgian waffles with strawberries, biscuits and country sausage gravy, honey herb-roasted chicken, roasted root vegetable frittata, Iowa pork tenderloin medallions, or a smoked cheddar smashburger.
Dinners include options such as honey herb-roasted chicken, ginger teriyaki salmon, three cheese chicken parmigiana, a grilled Iowa hanger steak, vegan mushroom ravioli with roasted vegetables, and more. Upgrades include ponzu-glazed sea bass, prime rib, beef Wellington, or a prime rack of pork.
And just to tease dessert and frozen cocktails, The Ingersoll has crème brûlée, warm brownie à la mode, sugared berries martini-style, and the Ingersoll grasshopper.
Where to find The Ingersoll
Location: 3711 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines
Contact: theingersoll.com
Sign up for our dining newsletter, Table Talk DSM, which comes out on Wednesday mornings with all the latest news on restaurants and bars in the metro. You can sign up for free at profile.desmoinesregister.com/newsletters/manage.
If you see a new restaurant opening or a beloved place closing, send me some details at sstapleton@gannett.com.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: ‘A White Christmas’ comes to Ingersoll Theater in Des Moines to reopen this holiday season
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
