‘A Christmas Story’ shines as funny, touching musical in Woodstock

“You’ll shoot your eye out!”

That quote may not have made it onto the American Film Institute’s 2005 list of the 100 top film quotes of all time, but for those who enjoy family-oriented, nostalgic holiday movies, that frequently used statement in 1983′s “A Christmas Story” is equally memorable. Theatre 121′s tune-filled stage production of “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” playing at the Woodstock Opera House through Dec. 1, brings back all the movie’s key scenes in a funny, touching, family show that parents and kids can both enjoy.

As narrated by author Jean Shepherd (played by Brian Fleming with just the right amount of nostalgia and twinkle), the plot focuses on the Parker family of Indiana: Ralphie (fifth-grader Torben Mularski in a role he truly was born to play), his resistant-to-eating younger brother, Randy (Bode Diehl), Mother (Tracy Parr as the long-suffering, always loving parent and homemaker of the family) and The Old Man (J. Thomas Graf as the gruff, but ultimately caring, father and husband).

After Shepherd sets the scene of a 1940s small town 24 days before Christmas, we quickly find out that 9-year-old Ralphie is on a mission to somehow get the Christmas present of his dreams, a “Red Ryder Carbine-Action BB Gun,” with both Ralphie and Shepherd singing about the joys inherent in such a gift.

While it’s a gift that prompts the “You’ll shoot your eye out” rejection from Mother, Ralphie is determined to subtly convince his parents, his teacher or at least the local department store Santa Claus that he’s worthy. It won’t be easy, but Ralphie’s vivid imagination (fantasy sequences played out in the ensemble number “Ralphie to the Rescue”) keeps him from giving up his quest.

During this same three-and-a-half-week time period, Ralphie’s friends, family, teacher, bullies and other townspeople all have their own memorable moments, including:

• Ralphie’s dad entering one crossword puzzle contest after another, hoping he’ll win and be considered “The Genius on Cleveland Street” – spoiler alert: he wins a “major” award, but it’s one everyone makes “light” of;

• Randy’s struggle with a winter coat that’s way too difficult to wear;

• A school assignment from Miss Shields (Emily Kunash), which Ralphie is sure will be his ticket to BB gun heaven;

• Miss Shields in a “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!” number in the second act, one of Ralphie’s fantasy sequences, which lets Kunash show her great tap-dancing skills – it’s evident why choreographer Kelsey Waughon made her a dance captain;

• Bullies Scut Farkus (Colin Graf) and Grover Dill (Audrey Molter) pushing the younger kids to the breaking point;

• Ralphie’s best friends Schwartz (Elijah Pierce) and Flick (Owen Johnson) in a dare that may cause a “Sticky Situation;”

• A kid’s singular use of a swear word resulting in their mouth being washed out with soap;

• The Higbee’s Department Store Santa (Nathan Forrester) and his elf helpers dealing with an endless line of kids taking their turns “Up on Santa’s Lap” before they’re quickly sent down a slide.

As ably directed by Jordan Rakittke and assistant director Gianah Tomczak, several scenes will make you either smile in recognition of similar times in your childhood or chuckle as these characters deal with challenges (like The Old Man’s faux-profanity-laced tirades against a faulty furnace and a neighbor’s “mangy mutts”).

Standouts in this cast include Mularski, Fleming, Kunash and Parr (her “What a Mother Does” solo makes each audience member appreciate the 1,001 aspects of a mother’s job description), but all 24 members of the cast look like they’re having the time of their lives, and the opening-night audience clearly fed off that enthusiasm. Also, costume designer Mary Torkelson deserves praise for the varied outfits, especially in cowboy scenes, other fantasy sequences and the aftermath of an Aunt Clara gift for Ralphie.

I did note two areas that could be improved: 1) the nine-member orchestra sometimes overpowering the singers, especially those who aren’t miked; 2) the slightly-too-lengthy time required for some scene changes.

Those are relatively minor blips, though. If you want a family-friendly, close-to-home show that your whole family will get a kick out of, this musical fits the bill. But while the opening number is “It All Comes Down to Christmas,” the show’s sets come down a lot sooner (Dec. 1). So, don’t be a turkey – celebrate Thanksgiving-time with this “Christmas Story.”

• Paul Lockwood is a communications consultant at Health Care Service Corporation in Chicago, as well as a local theater actor, singer, Grace Lutheran Church (Woodstock) and Toastmasters member, columnist and past president of TownSquare Players. He and his wife have lived in Woodstock for almost two dozen years.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: “A Christmas Story: The Musical” presented by Theatre 121

• WHERE: Woodstock Opera House, 121 W. Van Buren St., Woodstock

• WHEN: Through Dec. 1

• INFORMATION: 815-338-5300, woodstockoperahouse.com/257/Opera-House