The story from a cherished movie classic that's enchanted millions is now a musical spectacular. In 1940's Indiana, a bespectacled boy named Ralphie has a big imagination and one wish for Christmas-a Red Ryder BB Gun. A kooky leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a cranky department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the obstacles that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas dream.
This is called 'A Christmas Story,' not 'The Christmas Story,' so, parents, please take note. The musical based on the popular 1983 movie is neither candy-cane sweet nor sacred. In fact, not much is sacred in this droll, imaginative, definitely and a bit defiantly off-center tale of a 9-year-old bespectacled kid named Ralphie and a flawed but loving family in Indiana in the 1940s. That is, 9-year-olds (and up) and their flawed, loving parents are probably the target audience for the newest addition to the holiday offerings, wickedly directed by John Rando ('Urinetown') with a clever and enjoyable score by newcomers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ('Dogfight'). The humor is not so much politically incorrect as, well, politically retro and a little dark...I could live without the awful joke about Chinese accents, the blue joke about the bowling ball, the playground line 'when you act like a fruit, you get crushed like a grape.' Even if kids liked to talk like that, Broadway should not endorse it.
We've all seen the scene in 'A Christmas Story' when the kid gets his tongue stuck on a frozen flagpole. Now on Broadway is that very same scene – plus the kid actually singing through it, or at least trying to sing. 'Sthlun luv a...,' he mumbles at the end. It's just one great touch in a musical that dares to mess with one of the most popular Christmas-time movies of all time and yet manages to not only do the film justice, but top it. The show...is a charming triumph of imagination that director John Rando has infused with utter joy. It's also a snappy piece of mature songwriting from a pair of guys barely as old as the original 1983 film...Purists may be upset to miss some film elements – such as Ralphie's decoder ring – but few will walk away thinking 'A Christmas Story' has been dishonored, itself a little Christmas miracle.
2011 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
2012 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2013 | Off-Broadway |
Madison Square Garden Production Off-Broadway |
2017 | Motion Picture |
FOX Live Televised Production Motion Picture |
2021 | US Tour |
Non Equity Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Joseph Robinette |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Bolton |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Bolton |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Justin Paul |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Benj Pasek |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Larry Blank |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Dan Lauria |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | 0 |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Gerald Goehring |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Roy Miller |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael F. Mitri |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Pat Flicker Addiss |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter Billingsley |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Timothy Laczynski |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mariano V. Tolentino Jr. |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Louise H. Beard |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Filerman |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Scott Hart |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Alison Eckert |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bob Bartner |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Jenkins |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Angela Milonas |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bradford W. Smith |
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