Photo Flash: Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Presents A CHRISTMAS STORY

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre rings in the holidays with the stage adaptation of the popular movie, A Christmas Story: The Musical. Now on stage for the first time at Beef & Boards, the Tony Award-nominated show features all the fun of the film!

Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, the musical follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts - an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Rebuffed at every turn with a similar echoing response, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his desperate desire for the coveted BB gun.

Ben Kistner, a seventh-grader at Zionsville West Middle School, makes his Beef & Boards debut in the starring role of Ralphie. Returning to the Beef & Boards stage are Eddie Curry as Jean Shepherd (the narrator), Amy Bodnar (Mamma Mia!) as Mother, and Don Farrell (Mamma Mia!, Into the Woods) as The Old Man.

All the iconic scenes from the movie are featured, with a versatile score that ranges from gentle ballads to show-stopping full-ensemble numbers such as "Ralphie to the Rescue!," "A Major Award," "Sticky Situation," "Up on Santa's Lap," "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" and the inevitable "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!"

A Christmas Story: The Musical is rated PG and is on stage for 44 performances through Dec. 31. The final performance is a New Year's Eve celebration that includes dancing to live music after the show and a champagne toast at midnight followed by a breakfast buffet. Tickets range from $45 to $70 ($89 for all seats for the New Year's Eve Celebration), and include Chef Odell Ward's holiday buffet, fruit & salad bar, unlimited coffee, tea, and lemonade.

For reservations, visit beefandboards.com or call the box office at 317.872.9664 anytime between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays. For complete show schedule, visit beefandboards.com.

A Christmas Story is presented in partnership with the Indiana Historical Society, presenting its Festival of Trees from Nov. 15 through Jan. 4 at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis. The holiday exhibit features 92 elaborately themed trees and special experiences including a replica of the living room from the film A Christmas Story. For more information, visit https://indianahistory.org/events/festival-of-trees.

Photo Credit: Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre