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Holiday classic 'A Christmas Story: The Musical' comes to Albuquerque Little Theatre
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Stick yourself to a seat and not a frozen pole at “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” opening Friday, Dec. 5, at the Albuquerque Little Theatre.
Director Tanner Sroufe said the musical is quite similar to the movie and holds the same theme of yearning for something you really want, like a Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun.
“It’s got all the big points that are in the movie that everyone loves and remembers ...” Sroufe said. “They didn’t skimp on any big, iconic moments in the movie.”
Timothy Chivalette, who plays the narrator, was on a brief hiatus from acting, but dove back in for the musical. He said he loved the movie and has connected with his character.
“This has been one of those shows where I definitely start seeing the perspective from the parents’ side a lot, so I’m using that within the character,” Chivalette said. “Because the older you get, the more you realize that your parents were trying as hard as they could.”
Where Chivalette found himself relating to his parents, Mary Brzezinski, who plays Mother Parker, found the production helped her connect with her grandmother.
“She kind of reminds me of my grandmother …” Brzezinski said. “She’s no longer with us, but it’s really, really fun bringing up memories of her and thinking how would she have handled something like this?”
“I actually wore some earrings of hers that I had in that photo shoot,” Brzezinski said. “(It) feels really nice to connect with my grandmother again.”
Brzezinski said the show’s theme is family and togetherness during the holidays — set in a small-town, homey atmosphere.
“It’s kind of a typical Hallmark-style kind of vibe, where we’re showing this very small town with a great family and a great bunch of friends that all play together and pull shenanigans together,” Brzezinski said.
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“It’s really just showing how a family kind of operates, but during the holidays,” Brzezinski said, “and so it’s very heartwarming, and a lot of love is shown throughout the show in different ways.”
The musical is set in the 1940s in Hohman, Indiana, and Sroufe said that it has been beautifully translated to the stage.
“Jason Roman is our set designer and master carpenter, and I’ve been hanging out with him the last two days, helping build the set,” Sroufe said, “and he’s just a super genius. Everything’s gonna look so good, and visually it’s going to be beautiful.”
Chivalette said the show focuses on yearning for an item — with the BB gun leading to Ralphie’s best remembered Christmas.
“It really plays with the idea that what you consider your best memories were probably not 100% the best things ever,” Chivalette said, “but the culmination of all the hard work into the big wants.”
