A CHRISTMAS STORY Cast Album Gets 9/25 Digital Release!

Ralphie Parker wants only one thing for Christmas – a Red Ryder BB Gun. Of course that'll come as no surprise to the legion of fans of the beloved 1983 movie A Christmas Story. But this holiday season, devotees of the cherished film are getting another gift. Celebrating the arrival of A Christmas Story: The Musical on Broadway, Masterworks Broadway proudly releases the World Premiere Recording of the delightful family-friendly musical digitally on September 25 and on CD on October 22, 2012.

The show has music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers Award-winning newcomers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dogfight) and a book by Joseph Robinette based on the movie and the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd. The 18-track recording features John Bolton as The Old Man, plus cast members from the 5th Avenue Theatre production and the 2011 National Tour. They're joined by Broadway favorites Liz Callaway (Baby, Miss Saigon) as Mother and Tom Wopat (Catch Me If You Can, Annie Get Your Gun) as Jean Shepherd. The remarkable young Clarke Hallum stars as Ralphie.

A Christmas Story: The Musical rides on clever songs that recall the golden age of the Broadway musical yet glow with a contemporary flair. They leap brightly from the jumpy excitement of "Counting Down to Christmas" and the aspirational "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun," all the way through the jazzy "The Genius on Cleveland Street" and the warmhearted "What a Mother Does," to the epic "A Major Award" and the irresistible "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana," with plenty of other delightful musical stops along the road, retelling the classic tale in a whole new, but thoroughly recognizable, way.

This homespun yarn has long since entered the canon of classic Christmas stories. In 1940s Indiana, a bespectacled boy named Ralphie has a big imagination to go with his one unlikely Christmas wish. A kooky leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a cranky department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the obstacles that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas dream. Produced by the film's original Ralphie, Peter Billingsley, the new musical is pure holiday entertainment that captures a simpler time in America with delicious wit and a heart of gold, while the sparkling recording from Sony Masterworks brings all that holiday warmth and clever fun right into your living room.

It's no wonder Time Out Chicago declared that the show "has the potential to be a new perennial favorite." The Chicago Sun Times called the show "[a]n enchanting holiday gem…an altogether beguiling…luminous musical comedy." That's just what we need this holiday season.

A Christmas Story, The Musical! will arrive on Broadway this holiday season at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre from November 5 – December 30, 2012. Opening night is Monday, November 19.

Masterworks Broadway is a label of Sony Masterworks. For email updates and information on Masterworks Broadway please visit www.masterworksbroadway.com. For more information on the musical, please visit www.evitaonbroadway.com/.

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