By Jennifer Mustoe
Pioneer Theatre Company rings in the holidays with the hilarious, heartwarming favorite A Christmas Story, the Musical. This is a show you don’t want to miss. Director Karen Azenberg directed and choreographed all her actors, which includes a large cast of kiddos, to Christmas treats perfection. Music and Lyrics by the talented Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book by Joseph Robinette have created a great show. But Pioneer takes A Christmas Story, the Musical to a height that will have your toes tapping and your hands clapping.
Jean Shepherd wrote the semi-fictional book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, which was made into the Warner Brothers movie A Christmas Story in 1983, and the musical follows this story almost to the letter. I will say right now, A Christmas Story, the Musical is very watchable without being familiar with the movie. But I would bet every person in our audience knew what was going to happen next and next and next–I could feel the anticipation. In the infamous “Oh fudge” scene, I felt a collective intake of breath, and when Ralphie utters the horrific and hilarious F-dash-dash-dash, the audience exhaled and then howled with laughter.
The show begins with Narrator, Jean Shepherd played by Don Noble. Noble is so very likeable and warm and funny. It felt like he was my best friend and as he told the story, I was sitting down with him over a hot cup of cocoa as he spun his tale of love, woe, anticipation, friendship, and childhood ups and downs. Ralphie, double cast with Mack Boyer (he was our Ralphie last night) and Soren Ray is the star of the show, obviously, and this is a big role for a kid. Boyer has an amazing range for a boy and his notes are pure and clear. His acting ability is just as impressive, with the same spunk, sweetness, and sense of delight and silliness that boys his age can have. Mother (Stacie Bono) is amazing, and she displayed a different sort of talent than I’ve ever seen before. Azenburg, “because we’re all about disclosure here” shared that Bono was having some illness in her chest and she will be onstage doing the talking, but her understudy will be singing all the songs offstage. Had Azenburg not told us this, I’d never had known. Lip syncing takes practice, so I can imagine when it was made clear Bono’s voice wasn’t going to be able to sustain a whole show of singing, the actress and her understudy had to add some rehearsing above and beyond. I looked for mistakes, I admit it, and there wasn’t a glitch. Bono is delightful, a dear mother with strength and comfort. I loved watching her interact with each family member. She holds the Parker house together.
The Old Man (Danny Bernhardy) did some pretty great swearing without uttering a real bad word. It is rather spectacular, actually. Bernhardy has the moves to dance, the voice to sing, the acting to make his role authentic. But he has a special something (could it be Christmas spirit?) that made us love that often cantankerous grump. Rounding out the Parker family is Ralphie’s younger brother Randy, played by Asher Nehring. This young man plays the whiny second child to perfection. His duets with Ralphie are wonderful and their rough and tumble behavior is so realistic, it kind of hurt. (I have two kids. Need I say more?) But Randy’s sweet side, his caring for Ralphie in the scene where Ralphie beats up Scut Farkus, is tender and very believable.
The other kiddos in the show (and there were so many!) bring A Christmas Story, the Musical to life onstage and don’t we love these kids? The creepy Scut Farkus (Austin Flamm) and his toady sidekick Grover Dill (Kiyan R. Wyness), Ralphie’s best pals Schwartz (Ethan Marchant) and Flick (Daniel Sorokine), and a charming and talented group of young actors provide a Christmas surprise package that was fun to “open”. The final credited actors are Miss Shields (EJ Zimmerman), who has a few dancing and singing tricks up her sleeve that show a side to this stuffy teacher we didn’t know existed. And the slightly inebriated Santa Claus (Paris Alexander Nesbitt), wearied with his day job of store Santa, had one (or two?) too many and his treatment of the kids is quite, ahem, startling? Hysterical? Understandable? All of the above.
As always, Pioneer Theatre Company provides a beautiful, multi-layered set (James Noone) and lighting (Dawn Chiang) and Sound (Aaron Hubbard) in A Christmas Story, the Musical is no exception. From the Parker home, to the classroom, to the Club where Miss Shields kicks up her heels; to the lighting that accentuates each mood; to the glorious sound that never has a glitch, we are treated with all the aspects of a perfect show. Hair and wig design (Samantha Wootten) and costume design (K.L. Alberts) create the 1940s with such beauty and authenticity. I remember these styles in photos of my grandma and we are looking at spot on replication on the Pioneer Theatre Company stage.
I watched A Christmas Story in the movie theater–twice. (Yes, I’m that old–Sigh.) And how many times have I watched it since? Too many times to count. And though A Christmas Story, the Musical follows the storyline closely, there are some changes and one I thoroughly enjoyed was the tenderness that Mother and the Old Man have for one another. The final song, “A Christmas Story” made me tear up. My other favorite number, “What a Mother Does”, resonated with me as my own family has become multi-generational and under our one roof we have great-granddaughter, granddaughter, son, daughter-in-law, son, my husband, and me. “What a Mother Does” is MY song, and thinking of it still brings a lump to my throat. And of course, we hear a great deal about “Old Blue”, the Red Ryder BB gun with the… You know, right? It really needs a credit of its own, it’s like the character that is ghost/fantasy/obsession/dream come true. Haven’t we all had an “Old Blue” of our own once upon a time? And the pink bunny suit, the “pink nightmare” is in all its glory for Ralphie to cringe about.
The wonderful orchestra accompanies the glorious singers and dancers, and aren’t live orchestras so lovely? Another layer to a fantastic production. Musical Director/Conductor Helen Gregory is stupendous and is the favorite Christmas treat in the Holiday box of yummy treats. Azenburg doubles as director and choreographer, something that always brings a perfect touch. There is cohesion when the director not only gives acting and blocking instruction, but has their cast moving just as they want. These are always my favorite productions.
A Christmas Story, The Musical is a family-friendly show and I saw more than a few kiddos at last night’s show. And let me tell you, the crowd was crazy excited. Loud laughing and enthusiastic clapping tells me that I need to tell you–come see this show. It is a fun and touching representation of not just Christmases long ago, but maybe in your own family today.
Pioneer Theatre Company presents A Christmas Story, The Musical, Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Joseph Robinette.
Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
December 9-24, 2022, Monday – Thursday, 7:00 PM, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 PM, Saturday, 2:00 PM, Special showtimes on December 24 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Please contact the box office 801-581-6961 for more information.
Tickets : $48 – $72 in advance; $5 more when purchased on day of show
Students K – 12 or Ages 5-18 are half-price Monday – Thursday
Contact: 801-581-6961, Open 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday – Friday
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