While this blog is geared toward topics like horror movies and video games, I must let you know that I am a fan of other genres as well. One of my favorite films is A Christmas Story. It is one of the few movies that capture the true feeling of being a child. You'd think that adult filmmakers would be able to do this more often, considering that we are all children for over a decade. Somewhere in the transition into adulthood, we often lose sight of what it means to be a kid. That's what makes this movie so special.
Gene Shepherd's humor provided the nostalgic basis for the film, which turned out to be a comedy classic when put into the hands of director Bob Clark. I am a fan of the stories on which the movie was based; yet I think that the tales reached a new level of genius when handled by the talented film crew and cast. That being said, I had the opportunity to watch the musical production based on the film when it came to Detroit at the Fox Theater on November 25th. In writing this review, I know I must address the issue of whether the musical could match up to the movie. Let me get it out the way and say that the musical is not nearly as good.
Don't get me wrong. The Seattle-based production was indeed wonderful. However, anyone going into the theater expecting a retelling of the story with as much magic as Clark's film will be disappointed. I had no such expectations and, thus, enjoyed it thoroughly.
Someone might watch a musical reimagining of a beloved classic film for a variety of reasons. Some may like musicals. I can understand that there is motivation in seeing what kinds of songs may be written about one of your favorite stories. I, personally, am not a fan of musicals. Musical numbers are often contrived and unpleasing to my musical tastes. The music in A Christmas Story was not bad, but I can only recall one musical number being memorable. "Ralphie to the Rescue" is certainly catchy and worth listening to again. Credit must be given for making all of the songs fit into the story.
I did not let my bias against musicals ruin my enjoyment of the show. I came to see the production for another reason: to see how things would turn out differently when performed on a stage by stage actors directed by a theater director. I was pleased with the results.
The plot pretty much followed that of the film closely. There were only a couple of changes. One plot point was omitted. Anyone familiar with the film may remember the scenario with the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin. That side plot didn't make the cut. This was surely done to shorten the run time. After sitting in uncomfortable theater seats for the length that I did, I did not mind the exclusion of a minor plot point to help pacing. The only other noticeable major change came late in the second act.
Again, this is probably only noticeable if you are familiar with the movie. A scene in which the infamous "Major Award" leg lamp is broken gets shuffled to the night before Christmas. The children of the family attempt in vain to piece the lamp back together while singing a number. I can only assume this was to provide some more human conflict to the tale end of the story. The whole scene really adds nothing and could have been omitted to help keep the length down. I'm not complaining, though, because it's a new spin on the old story. It actually does more to build the little brother Randy into a human character (which I don't care for, but hey, at least it's interesting).
Another aspect I got behind was the framing narrative. Jean Shepherd lent his trademark voice to the narration of the film. A voiceover probably wouldn't work as well on stage. The musical decided to compensate for this by changed the narrator into an onstage character. Now the audience is able to see Shepherd narrate into his radio mic as his sound effect guy provides the background noise. Shepherd is actually present in a few scenes, creating an interesting visual that never becomes a distraction.
Again, these changes aren't drastic. Only fans of the movie would notice. The plot is largely the same. The script borrows many of the same lines, and almost all the jokes are present. The narration still rattles off the classic lines. Overall, it's the same, yet I notice a little more exploration into the theme of Ralphie's disappointing odds of getting his Red Ryder BB gun. The narration does a good job of reminding the audience that the tides are against him. It's a small touch, but one I think adds to the overall story.
So the music's alright and the plot's all there. That leaves the acting. Everyone knows that the acting in the film is super. Peter Billingsley will forever be associated with the lead role of Ralphie in the original motion picture. Darren McGavin is synonymous with the old man. Ultimately, the acting on the stage recaptures the essence of the characters but lacks the nuances of the acting on the silver screen.
The 2011 production starred Clarke Hallum as Ralphie, John Bolton as the Old Man, among others. Hallum did a good job as Ralphie overall, but lacked the humorous enthusiasm in body language that Peter Billingsley and Kieran Kulkin portrayed in the same role. That's not to say it was bad. It is a stage show, and I cannot reasonably expect the acting to be the same. John Bolton portrayed the father as more of a hothead, similar to the way Charles Grodin did in It Runs in the Family (the 1994 "sequel" directed by Bob Clark using the same Shepherd source material). It wasn't bad either, just different from the perfect portrayal by McGavin.
Every time I show It Runs in the Family to friends, there is a resounding disappointment with the new actors (aside from Culkin, who did an excellent job). Being that this is a stage show, the acting is bound to be different. This meant everyone was free to enjoy the differences as a new interpretation, rather than an unfortunate side effect of an inferior production.
If you are able to enjoy a beloved classic being transferred to a different medium, I recommend you see the show should you be given the opportunity. I normally hate reimaginings of my favorite things, like terrible remakes of classic horror flicks. Still, I enjoyed this, and you probably would too.
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