Aahana Swrup
‘The Merry Gentlemen’ offers an entertaining Christmas story about a woman finding her true passion—and true love—on an unconventional mission to fix up her family-owned business. Ashley Davis has been a Broadway star—a member of The Jingle Belles for over a decade. As such, when she’s unceremoniously kicked out of the dance company in favor of younger blood, the dancer is left unbalanced and without a purpose. However, a holiday trip back to her parent’s house changes everything as Ashley dedicates herself to bringing the local bar, The Rhythm Room, back from near-death. Along the way, she ends up inspiring passion for the arts—and something else—in the friendly carpenter, Luke.
The push and pull between the city and the small town—the Rhythm Room and Broadway—remains the central conflict in Ashley’s story of self-discovery. Naturally, this leads to piqued interest in the dancer’s professional career as a part of the Christmas-themed dance company, The Jingle Belles.
The Jingle Bells Possibly References The Rockettes
‘The Merry Gentlemen’ is a fictional story that employs similarly fictional elements to populate its on-screen narrative. Nevertheless, parts of the tale end up sporting enough relatability and realism, allowing the film to remain grounded in reality. Therefore, while the details of Ashley’s career as a dancer on Broadway aren’t directly lifted from reality, they retain some level of real-life resonance. In the film, The Jingle Belles is a dancing company that puts on popular dance shows around the holiday seasons, which are almost a staple of Broadway culture.
The company is so well known and loved that Ashley dreamed of becoming a “Jingle Belle” since she discovered her passion for dance in her childhood. Although there isn’t an actual show on Broadway that features The Jingle Belles, it’s possible that the on-screen dancing troupe is a fictionalized reference to The Rockettes. The Radio City Rockettes are a dancing company that is a Christmastime staple in New York City, where they put on performances in the yearly musical show’ Radio City Christmas Spectacular.’ The real-life company was founded in 1925 and continues to remain an iconic part of the city’s musical scene.
The parallels between The Rockettes and The Jingle Belles emerge from their iconography as dancers whose performances are geared toward the holiday season. Likewise, the former’s most recognizable move—the kickline—is also prominently included in the on-screen dancing company’s routine. Still, the details surrounding the two diverge enough that they aren’t completely identical. Therefore, it’s likely that The Jingle Belles are only a subtle nod and a reference toward the real-life Rockettes. As such, outside of this possible connection, The Jingle Belles hold no other basis in reality. Ultimately, Ashley’s former dancing company remains confined to the on-screen tale.
