A CHRISTMAS STORY Returns to Tennessee Rep, Now thru 12/22

This holiday season, Tennessee Repertory Theatre will once again present the holiday cult classic and Nashville's newest holiday tradition, A Christmas Story, adapted by Phillip Grecian and based on the motion picture by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark. A Christmas Story runs December 1 – December 22 at TPAC's Johnson Theater (with preview performances tonight, November 29 and 30).

Humorist Jean Shepherd's memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his unflappable campaign to get Santa (or anyone else) to give him a "legendary official Red Ryder 200 shot carbine action range-model air rifle." Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself at Goldblatt's Department Store. The consistent response: "You'll shoot your eye out."

Many of the favorite elements from the motion picture are in the production: the family's temperamental exploding furnace, the school bully Scut Farkas, the dare to place a wet tongue on a cold lamppost, the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin, the "major award" of a lamp shaped like a woman's leg in a net stocking, the imaginative fantasy scenarios and more. This irresistible piece of Americana is a cult classic and is guaranteed to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.

Veteran Nashville actor Samuel Whited once again stars as "Ralphie." In addition to Whited, Tennessee Rep's production features an ensemble cast including David Compton, Geoff Davin, Jamie Farmer, Andrew Kanies, Peter Vann, and David Wilkerson.

Performances are on Tuesdays-Thursdays at 6:30PM, on Fridays at 7:30PM, and on Saturdays at 2:30PM and 7:30PM. There will be meet and greets with the cast after each Friday and Saturday night performance.

Tickets start at $42.50 ($11.50 for students with valid ID, some restrictions apply). Tickets are on sale at the TPAC Box Office (at 505 Deaderick Street in Downtown Nashville). Tickets are available by phone at 615-782-4040 or www.tennesseerep.org.

Since 1985, Tennessee Repertory Theatre has been a critically acclaimed regional theatre, creating the highest quality professional productions and by serving as a prime cultural, educational, and economic resource within the Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities. Tennessee Rep produces work that is designed, built, and rehearsed in Nashville by highly skilled actors, designers, directors, and technicians. A non-profit organization, Tennessee Rep is committed to consistently delivering thought-provoking theatre each year. For more information on the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, visit www.tennesseerep.org.