Day 178-A Christmas Story (Musical) –stories and traditions

Photo by Jesse Scheve

When I heard that the 1983 film, “A Christmas Story”  was adapted  into a musical, I thought that it would be a great way to kick off the holiday season with my son.  It’s a tradition for us every year to watch the movie that takes place on Cleveland Street in Indiana in the l940’s. We laugh over and over again at  Ralphie’s  quest  to get a Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot BB gun for Christmas!  The holiday movie, "A Christmas Story” is so appealing to the masses and we never get tired of watching it over and over again because it  fuels our memories of  our own holiday stories. We all can remember a time when we worried that all the “bad stuff" done that year would keep Santa from giving us that one special, must have, childhood toy. My coveted toy was a Barbie convertible.

Famous lamp. My son has one at college

The musical follows the film closely and the funny parts in the movie are  just as funny in the play.Some parts are even funnier with the  augmentation of song and dance. The singing and dancing seem to have always been part of the story.   The first song, “It All Comes Down to Christmas,”  captures the anxious post Thanksgiving count down of what needs done, and what needs to be bought, before Christmas day. Of course the infamous leg lamp is front and center with its own musical number.  

Ralphie and the cast of children steal the show, especially with a  fantastic tap dance number to "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out."  I did not think little legs could move that fast.

My favorite movie scene was reenacted with real dogs running across the stage, mauling the Christmas day turkey which resulted in Ralphie’s family  having Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant  and  the hilarious   Chinese waiter’s attempt  to sing Christmas carols. (I threaten to  have Chinese take out for Christmas every year since I hate to cook.)

My Son and I 

 When the mom sang about savoring her boy’s childhood moments in, “Just Like That," I looked over at my  son and remembered him at the age of seven (7) again, in  wire rimed glasses, getting up at the crack of dawn, to rip open that special  toy.  A Christmas Story is really about  remembering  all of our own stories. This  musical is a great kick off to the holiday season. 

(see  PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh  for tickets and up coming shows) ( A Christmas Story Musical tour )

 Other Sources:

Double Dog Dare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeJXYhdfR6Q

Christmas Story interesting facts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVRyyyqhxA
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust  https://trustarts.org/