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'The Pine Mountain Lodge' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre Natasha Harris and Lucas Blair in Oregon Caberet Theatre's production of "The Pine Mountain Lodge." Revels / Denise Baratta Thursday Nov 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM Vickie Aldous for the Tidings @VickieAldous A prolific songwriter, Irving Berlin penned songs to suit nearly any occasion. Oregon Cabaret Theatre taps into Berlin's extensive oeuvre to stage its new holiday musical, "The Pine Mountain Lodge." Rick Robinson, managing director at OCT, wrote the script and sprinkled it with 13 Berlin songs for the music and dance numbers.  "The music has to be an intrinsic part of the storytelling," Robinson says. "Irving Berlin has written thousands of songs. If I needed a song where a character talks about the love he has for his father, he wrote about that. We were surprised we could find what we were looking for." When a returning World War II veteran is tasked with shuttering his late father's flagging upstate New York hotel, he discovers the place haunted by two quarreling ghosts — former lovers and famous dance partners. The ghosts put aside past grievances and persuade the young man to stage one last show to save the hotel. The show previews at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at OCT, 241 Hargadine St., Ashland. Preview tickets are $21 for all seats. The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, and runs through Dec. 31. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays and select Tuesdays. Matinees are set for 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $21 to $35. Student rush tickets for $10 are available 30 minutes before curtain time. Discounts of 20 percent are available for groups of 10 or more.  Dinner reservations begin at 6:30 p.m. for evening shows; brunch begins at 11:30 a.m. for 1 p.m. matinees. Appetizers, beverages and desserts do not require reservations. Reservations and tickets are available online at oregoncabaret.com or by calling 541-488-2902. Robinson says he drew from personal experience to write "The Pine Mountain Lodge."  In 2014, he and his wife, Valerie Rachelle, relocated from Los Angeles after buying Oregon Cabaret Theatre. They had hoped to have a gradual transition, mentored by former owner Jim Giancarlo. Then Giancarlo suddenly became ill and died. Robinson and Rachelle can relate to the feelings of the veteran Danny — played by Lucas Blair — as he takes over the hotel following his father's death. "Ultimately, despite the fantastical elements, every story you tell has to be personal," Robinson says. "'The Pine Mountain Lodge' is about someone who endures enormous pressure after taking over this sacred performing space from a beloved figure — which is certainly something Val and I can relate to." Robinson includes references to real aspects of Oregon Cabaret Theatre, such as its chandelier, in the musical. Audiences will hear familiar and lesser known songs by Berlin, including "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," "Shaking the Blues Away," "Let Yourself Go" and "You're So Easy to Dance With." "There are all these great songs in the show that people are going to recognize right away, but also some beautiful, less common songs that really help to tell this story," Robinson says. Writing an original musical with a modest cast size has helped the local theater overcome many of the challenges of staging a classic — and lavish — musical like "White Christmas," which also uses Berlin songs and has themes of veterans returning from war, a financially struggling hotel and a last-ditch performance to save the business. "On the surface, it has a lot in common with Irving Berlin's shows such as 'White Christmas' and 'Holiday Inn,' but ours has an intimacy you won't find in those musicals and a ghost story twist that's going to be a lot of fun for audiences," says Rachelle, who directs the play. The quarreling ghosts named George Edwards and Edie Arlen are modeled after performing teams like comedian George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen, as well as dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. When the couple still lived, their relationship was on the rocks and they were about to break up as partners. But they perished in a car accident on the way to their last performance and are doomed to haunt the hotel. Actors John Stadelman and Jessica Blaszak play the ghosts.  Natasha Harris and Tony Carter play the living performers who arrive at the hotel. The man in the duo mistreats the woman, but she still clings to him because of their partnership. John Lambie plays the current caretaker of the hotel and an old friend of the veteran's father. "I love the actors. These are actors who have worked at the Cabaret. Everyone's just jumped right in," Robinson says. "Everyone has their eyes set on creating a wonderful new thing."