-- Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer
New Rep’s version of "A Christmas Story" is a family-friendly glimpse at the weeks leading up to a 1940s Christmas.
The classic Christmas tale tells the story of Ralphie Parker’s mission to convince his parents that all he wants for Christmas is the "Legendary Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass and 'this thing which tells time' built right into the stock!" The theater version has all the iconic images from the movie: the "Fra-gil-le" box, the leg lamp, the pink bunny pajamas, the irate department store Santa, and the oft quoted "You’ll shoot your eye out!" Seeing the yearly portrayal of this American family is like hearing a favorite Christmas carol: a beloved reminder that our own Christmas is right around the corner.
The story is told by the adult Ralphie (Barlow Adamson) reminiscing on this pivotal childhood Christmas. This allows for a satirical glimpse at events acted out by the young ensemble. Adamson fulfills this role enthusiastically, with a helpful dose of cynicism. He explains the etiquette of a "triple-dog-dare," the lung-crushing layers of clothing needed to walk to school in an Indiana winter, and the pride of finding the perfect gift for his parents. The Parker children, the determined Ralphie (Andrew Cekala) and the alternatively silent and shrill Randy (David Farwell), are both excellent, as are the rest of the young ensemble, whether groaning about writing a theme over Christmas break or spoiling Christmas as the Bumpuses' hounds.
The scenery features a profusion of Christmas images; even the walls are printed with blue snowflakes. Subsequent scenes reveal the warm glow of a Christmas tree in a room covered in wrapping paper, Santa seated on top of a glittering snow mountain, and Ralphie’s father (Owen Doyle) dickering with the crotchety tree salesman.
There is, of course, the idea of too much of a good thing. Hearing "you’ll shoot your eye out" is not infinitely humorous, and for the most part, the audience knows which joke is coming as the cast assemble for each scene. But the production is wonderfully familiar, and the cast's exuberance breathes new life into an old story.
New Rep’s version of "A Christmas Story" is a family-friendly glimpse at the weeks leading up to a 1940s Christmas.
The classic Christmas tale tells the story of Ralphie Parker’s mission to convince his parents that all he wants for Christmas is the "Legendary Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass and 'this thing which tells time' built right into the stock!" The theater version has all the iconic images from the movie: the "Fra-gil-le" box, the leg lamp, the pink bunny pajamas, the irate department store Santa, and the oft quoted "You’ll shoot your eye out!" Seeing the yearly portrayal of this American family is like hearing a favorite Christmas carol: a beloved reminder that our own Christmas is right around the corner.
The story is told by the adult Ralphie (Barlow Adamson) reminiscing on this pivotal childhood Christmas. This allows for a satirical glimpse at events acted out by the young ensemble. Adamson fulfills this role enthusiastically, with a helpful dose of cynicism. He explains the etiquette of a "triple-dog-dare," the lung-crushing layers of clothing needed to walk to school in an Indiana winter, and the pride of finding the perfect gift for his parents. The Parker children, the determined Ralphie (Andrew Cekala) and the alternatively silent and shrill Randy (David Farwell), are both excellent, as are the rest of the young ensemble, whether groaning about writing a theme over Christmas break or spoiling Christmas as the Bumpuses' hounds.
The scenery features a profusion of Christmas images; even the walls are printed with blue snowflakes. Subsequent scenes reveal the warm glow of a Christmas tree in a room covered in wrapping paper, Santa seated on top of a glittering snow mountain, and Ralphie’s father (Owen Doyle) dickering with the crotchety tree salesman.
There is, of course, the idea of too much of a good thing. Hearing "you’ll shoot your eye out" is not infinitely humorous, and for the most part, the audience knows which joke is coming as the cast assemble for each scene. But the production is wonderfully familiar, and the cast's exuberance breathes new life into an old story.
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