By Hannah Cass
Just when you think you’ve seen all the Christmas plays, in comes A Christmas Story the Musical, playing in St. George. It isn’t truly the holiday season until you’ve seen at least one of four classic seasonal shows: A Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol. However, this brand-new classic has come a-wassailing to town to ring in the spirit of Christmas: Joseph Robinette’s A Christmas Story the Musical. Based on the classic film from 1983, it’s the tale that we all know and love combined with tunes created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul that enhance the magic of it for the stage.
Upon arriving at the historic St. George Opera House, it was delightful seeing the warm smiles of the ushers in the bitter cold. Program in hand, one walks in to find not a stage directly in the back of the house, but that you’re standing in the middle of it! The seats are arranged in a fishbowl fashion so that everyone in the audience is always engaged with the show no matter what seat they have, especially in the front row. Holiday banners are projected on either side of the room and a bright tree sits cozily in the corner, immersing the crowd inside the story itself.
Directed by first-time stage director Adam Mast with his assistant director Sheldon Demke, music directors Brodie Perry and Melissa Ricks, stage manager Chelle Nixon, costumer Alexis Vencill, props managers Suzan Ort and Cyndi Stueben, choreographer Hollie Reina, lighting designer Jennifer Roberts, technical director Kyle Myrick, and video content by Shaun Laubrecque, they create the ambiance of the world of 1940’s Hohman, Indiana in December to life.
True to the tale, our hero is the young Ralphie Parker (Gabriel Layton), a nine-and-a-half-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to get his dream gift for Christmas: an official Red Ryder BB gun. He makes it his quest to subtly let everyone know that he wants it through the entire month of December, even though they all say the same thing: “You’ll shoot your eye out!”.
Featuring the talents of Brad Christensen as the Narrator/Adult Ralphie, Will Haley as Flick, Barb Christensen as Ralphie’s Mom, Roy Eckman as his Old Man, Carmie Golightly as Ms. Shields, Jacob Cumming as Randy Parker, TJ Weddington as Santa, Brooklyn Larson as Schwartz, Sam Johanson as Skut Farkus, Kadence James Edwards as Grover Dill, and an extremely awe-inspiring ensemble of characters from young to old. I was absolutely blown away by the immense talent and teamwork I witnessed from these actors. Never before had I seen scene changes so swift and precise or a sense of unity among the cast (especially made up of primarily young students!), until tonight. It should be noted that both Layton and Haley switch roles each night as Ralphie and Flick. The night I went, I saw Layton as Ralphie and Haley as Flick.
Not only is this production wholesome and full of heart, one can expect to relive all the infamous and hilarious scenes from the original movie, from the leg lamp to the intense TRIPLE-dog-dare, to the Higbee’s Santa slide, to the “Oh, fuuuuuuuuuudge” scene that had everyone nostalgic and remembering the taste of soap. Even those unfamiliar with the film or the timeframe will find themselves laughing and relating to the events of the story.
I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of the cast members and ask them what they love most about the show. Brad Christensen (the Narrator) explained to me what he believes this production offers.
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“It’s definitely a family show, and there’s a little bit of something for everyone. We’ve got some jokes that the adults will understand and ones that the kids will understand. There’s something for everybody in the audience to relate to in this show because really it’s the story of all of us.”
Barb Christensen (Ralphie’s Mom) had this to say in regard to her favorite part of the show: “It’s absolutely a family show about family and one of my favorite things about it is that it touches on all of the things that a mother does to make Christmas special for her family.”
There was also something a little unrelated that I couldn’t help but ask. The food used during the dinner scenes looked SO real, and I was amazed to see Randy (Jacob) warfing it down. She confirmed that yes, the food is real! Real meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage, chow mein and more are used in this production, and I’ve never been more envious of a role than the role of Randy.
Heartwarming, hilarious and even a bit nostalgic, A Christmas Story is a must-see for the entire family this wonderful time of year.
St. George Musical Theater presents A Christmas Story the Musical by Joseph Robinette
The Historic St. George Opera House, 212 N. Main Street, St. George, UT, 84770
November 30th – December 16th, Monday, Thursday-Saturday 7:30, Matinee December 9th 2:00 PM
Tickets are $17-$21; call for group rates (435) 967-8167
St. George Musical Theater Facebook Page
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