Review: A CHRISTMAS STORY Pays Homage to Movie

Juxtaposing 1940 and 2016 America, you can easily pick out the undeniable differences that layer society, from technology to familial roles and everything in between. One thing that has remained constant over those 76 years is the unbridled joy of a child when they receive the pinnacle present on Christmas morning.

In A Christmas Story, The Musical, Ralphie yearns for that joy, which in his eyes can only be derived from a "Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle". (In other words, a BB gun that he can use to shoot his eye out.)

The musical is based on the 1983 Christmas movie of the same name and adds nearly two-dozen song and dance numbers to the classic. I know in my family, the movie always plays during Christmas Eve to the tune of my uncles' quoting. From them, I learned the timeless lines and lesser-known parts, all of which are infused into the show.

The musical pays homage to the movie as best a musical can, but it has to straddle the fence between staying true to the movie's spirit and conforming to a Broadway standard.

Flashy choreography, complete with terrific tapping from the young and seasoned dancers, accompanies a speakeasy scene that is quintessential Broadway, but there just seems to be a missing element in the writing of this show that holds it back from its full potential.

Of no fault, the cast puts on a rather robust performance, from adolescent, triple-dog-dared youth to canine-chased, crossword-crazed adults. Costumes, such as bright cowboy chaps and thick-as-blubber winter wear, adorn these actors, complimenting their harmonic singing.

A Christmas Story, The Musical is more visually and audibly pleasing than the grainy 30-year-old movie. The frag-il-le lamp truly illuminates the stage during "A Major Award", but a certain old world charm is lost from film to stage.

To see or not to see score: 5/9; Approved Show

Photo Credit: Christopher Swan as The Old Man and the Cast of A Christmas Story, The Musical. Photo by Gary Emord Netzley.

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