A Christmas Story at Wang Theatre
Young, bespectacled Ralphie Parker schemes his way toward the ultimate holiday gift, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. An infamous leg lamp, some hidious pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Nominated for three Tony Awards including Best Musical, the Associated Press calls A Christmas Story, The Musical “a joyous Christmas miracle,” and The New York Times writes “I was dazzled. You’d have to have a Grinch-sized heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face.” From the songwriting team behind the smash-hit Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen and the Academy Award-winning film La La Land, A Christmas Story, The Musical, brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage!
A Christmas Story Tickets:
“Very funny…Impossible to resist.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“A twinkling Christmas delight!” – Broadway World St. Louis
“This musical is everything a piece of musical theater ought to be.” – Broadway World Baltimore
Young Ralphie Parker is obsessed, and as we all know all too well, good behavior in a young boy is a rare thing to come by. And so, our young hero embarks upon the most challenging month of his life, beset from all angles, hindered by the most mundane of life’s problems. His dad is more interested in finishing his crossword, his mom, well she just states, “You’ll shoot your eye out”. How is little Ralphie possibly going to get his hands on that Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle?
What about old Mrs. Shields, Ralphie’s school teacher? “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Ok, she’s a bust, what about the crazy old coot playing Santa at the department store, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Poor Ralph just can’t catch a break, no matter what he does, he just can’t seem to find a way to convince his parents of just how much he wants this Red Ryder air rifle. At this rate Ralphie is going to end up with a hideous pair of pajamas or something!
A Christmas Story, The Musical features a festive and nostalgic holiday themed score by composer and lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Tony Award winners for Dear Evan Hansen, and OSCAR winners for La La Land. With a book by Joseph Robinette, based on the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd and the 1983 holiday film. This tour production features direction by Matt Lenz, with casting by Alison Franck. Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle’s Broadway choreography will be reset for the tour by Jason Sparks. The musical features scenic design by Mike Carnahan, with costume design by Lisa Zinni and lighting design by Charlie Morrison. Las but not ever remotely leased the hounds will play themselves.
After numerous regional productions, out of town tryouts and national tours, this version of the musical originally officially opened on Broadway in November 2012 at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre for a limited engagement that ran through December 2012 and was a critical and commercial success. Following the successful Broadway run garnering three 2013 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, along with six Drama Desk nominations, and two Outer Critics Circle nominations, A Christmas Story, The Musical is now on national, seasonal tour around the country.
A Christmas Story Reviews
“I was dazzled. You’d have to have a grinch-size heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face.” – New York Times
“Like that long, rifle-shaped box sitting in the corner on Christmas morning in the Parker household, this show is a gift waiting to be unwrapped.” – Buffalo News
“Five Stars! this seasonal musical is sure to become a treasured classic much like its film counterpart for years to come. You’ll shoot your eye out if you miss this miraculous production.” – TheatreBloom
The Southington Observer Review by Mike Chaiken:
“A Christmas Story: The Musical” is the perfect night out to help put the entire family into a Christmas spirit.
The stage show is based on the movie, “A Christmas Story,” which in turn was based on the stories of radio host Jean Shepard. And it is given a fine treatment in the road tour. The show is set in the 1940s. And for older members of the audience, say from their 50s to 80s, it will remind them of a simpler time, when Christmas was more about what Santa brought you based on your behavior rather than what you felt you were entitled to because of the luck of the calendar. For the generation that followed, the show is loving adaptation of the movie that many grew up watching on cable television as it was put on an endless loop each Christmas Eve. And for the children, the show is fun because it’s about being a child. The humor is designed to allow them to laugh at the events on stage (while still tickling the funny bone of nostalgic adults).
Bring the whole family. Everyone will get a kick out of it.