Clear Space Theater opens “A Christmas Story: The Musical” Nov. 29
How better to celebrate the holiday season than with 9-year-old Ralphie, as he wages his campaign to assure the best of all possible gifts - a Red Ryder Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle - turns up under his tree? Come root for Ralphie as “A Christmas Story: The Musical” opens Friday, Nov. 29, and runs through Sunday, Dec.15, at Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach.
This Tony-nominated show features all the beloved characters from the 1983 movie of the same name. These include the covetous Ralphie (Chris Decker), Ralphie’s lamp-loving dad (Rick Nazzaro), his mom (Amanda Aris) who loves the lamp a lot less, his teacher, Miss Shields (Lorraine Steinhoff), and narrator/adult Ralphie (Dan Carney).
For all that the film is a seasonal classic, “A Christmas Story: The Musical” offers a special something that the movie lacked: It features the music and lyrics of Pasek and Paul, who gave award-winning theatre and film favorites such as “Dear Evan Hansen,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land.
Says Decker, “I absolutely love performing this show! It’s not only funny, but genuinely has a lot of heart to it. I am a huge fan of the movie; I still watch it every year during the holidays. This show has all the iconic scenes from the movie, plus Pasek and Paul’s amazing music.”
Decker adds, “What I enjoy most about playing Ralphie is that I get to bring some of those iconic movie scenes alive - on stage and in person - and I get to do that on a stage I’m sharing with an extremely talented cast. Of course,” he continues, “there are challenges that come along with playing a character most people are familiar with. I need to both bring a performance that meets people’s expectations - in terms of that familiarity - but also need to bring my own Ralphie to the stage.”
Decker is sure audiences will enjoy the show, noting, “People who are fans of the movie will enjoy seeing the familiar story play out live before them. And even those who aren’t familiar with the movie, or who aren’t such big fans, will leave with smiles on their faces - and maybe even a change of heart about the show. It’s just such a fun storyline - and who could resist the terrific music?”
Sponsored by Jack Lingo, Realtor the musical runs weekends through Sunday, Dec. 15, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7 p.m, (Friday, Nov. 29 performance at 7:30 p.m.) and Sunday performances at 3 pm. There also are Thursday performances Dec. 5 at 11 a.m., and Dec. 12 at 9:30 a.m. Tickets for all shows are $17 to $32, and may be purchased online at www.clearspacetheatre.org, or by calling the box office at 302-227-2270.
