Review by Kate Neeley, Front Row Reviewers
Four Seasons Theatre Company has won the holiday season with their endearing production of A Christmas Story and your heart will come away with the perfect glow of a midwest living room Christmas tree. With fun and wit to boot, you’ll “shoot your eye out” with joy at the colorful delivery of this All-American holiday classic.
In A Christmas Story the Musical, Director Kody Rash has led this lovely cast in making the storybook vibe come alive on stage. You’ll enjoy the wonderful vocals led by music director Jennifer Bohman. Production assistant Mindy James, choreographers Katie Packard, AnnAlyse Chidester, and Melisa Jensen all bring so much movement to life with their creative collaboration directing the cast.
Without a setting for the story, the magic would be lost on a blank stage. And it is anything but. Welcome to Indiana! Thanks to Lineset Design and Fabrication, you get transported right into Hohman, Indiana, the show’s fictional location patterned after the actual town of Hammond, Indiana – the hometown of the story’s author Jean Shepherd. The house and the school yard, the snow and the whole stage are perfection – and the lighting design by Nikayla Starr Nielson and lighting board operator Beth DeWaal take it to the next level. The magical lighting makes the musical shimmery and shiny and beautiful.
With the lines and the vocals being as witty and fun as they are, it is imperative that you’re able to hear, and thanks to Afton Whitney, you get to. Every note, every line is clear and understandable. Although the backstage unsung heroes aren’t as visible as the actors or the set, the show wouldn’t be near as enjoyable as it is without the stage manager Daniel Rash and the Run Crew comprised of Danny, Jared Bohman, Matthew Bohman, Clara Baillio, EJ Stevens, Jonathan Olson, and Nathan Allen.
Just like the classic movie, A Christmas Story is narrated, and it is so creatively delivered by Sam Petersen as he portrays the original storyteller Jean Shepherd. He is more or less the Ralphie of the future. His storytelling is full of character and expression that adds so much. It’s amazing how you see him there on the stage “in the past” and it somehow convinces you that he’s not really there – just a voice narrating the events as they happen.
Ralphie, played by Soren Pedersen, is the little boy who passionately hopes for an “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time” for Christmas. He is flanked by his adorable kid brother Randy, played by Derek Geddes. These two boys are such a great little duo in the comically sweet little family with their parents Mother (Celeste Baillio) and The Old Man (Stanton Allen). Every member of this stage family has immense talent and are so animated you’ll think they might actually BE animated.
One of the highlights of this cast is the ensemble. They’re bright, fun, and lovely singers. Thanks to Kody Rash, Kim Rash, and Mary Savage, the costumes are exceptional. Some of the big group numbers are the most fun.
Miss Shields, played by Rachel Fillingim, is the school teacher that becomes an essential part of the story as she is part of some of Ralphie’s big dreams about the Red Ryder BB gun he plans to employ to save her (and his family and others) from bad guys. Fillingham is the teacher every parent wants for their children, but the kids adore her, too. She is pretty and animated and a fantastic dancer.
Four Seasons Theatre Company always creates such magic and quality entertainment and A Christmas Story the Musical is no exception. I enjoyed this fun holiday musical and it gave me the kickstart I needed to really get into the Christmas Spirit.
With an “unusual” leg lamp, sweet humor, and authentic family life, you won’t want to miss Four Seasons’ A Christmas Story the Musical. It is a fun one for the whole family, with a whole lotta humor, music, and hilarity to brighten up your holidays.
Four Seasons Theatre Company presents A Christmas Story the Musical Music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), based on the Warner Bros Film written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark.
Skyview High School, 520 S 250 E, Smithfield, UT 84335
November 29 – December 9, 2023 times vary
Tickets: $14-$17
Contact: 435- 535-1432
Four Seasons Theatre Company Facebook Page
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