7 / 10
But would A Christmas Story: The Musical (* * * out of four) live up to the memories and expectations of those who had loved the movie -- and fans of Jean Shepherd, the writer and radio personality whose semi-autobiographical accounts of small-town life inspired it? The answer, based on audience reaction at a recent preview at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, where the musical opened Monday, is a resounding yes.
7 / 10
This is called 'A Christmas Story,' not 'The Christmas Story,' so, parents, please take note. The musical based on the popular 1983 movie is neither candy-cane sweet nor sacred. In fact, not much is sacred in this droll, imaginative, definitely and a bit defiantly off-center tale of a 9-year-old bespectacled kid named Ralphie and a flawed but loving family in Indiana in the 1940s. That is, 9-year-olds (and up) and their flawed, loving parents are probably the target audience for the newest addition to the holiday offerings, wickedly directed by John Rando ('Urinetown') with a clever and enjoyable score by newcomers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ('Dogfight'). The humor is not so much politically incorrect as, well, politically retro and a little dark...I could live without the awful joke about Chinese accents, the blue joke about the bowling ball, the playground line 'when you act like a fruit, you get crushed like a grape.' Even if kids liked to talk like that, Broadway should not endorse it.
| 2011 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
| 2013 | Off-Broadway |
Madison Square Garden Production Off-Broadway |
| 2017 | Motion Picture |
FOX Live Televised Production Motion Picture |
| 2021 | US Tour |
Non Equity Tour US Tour |
| 2025 | US Tour |
Non-Equity US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Joseph Robinette |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Bolton |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Bolton |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Justin Paul |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Benj Pasek |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Larry Blank |
| 2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Dan Lauria |
| 2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | 0 |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Gerald Goehring |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Roy Miller |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael F. Mitri |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Pat Flicker Addiss |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Peter Billingsley |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Timothy Laczynski |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mariano V. Tolentino Jr. |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Louise H. Beard |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Filerman |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Scott Hart |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Alison Eckert |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bob Bartner |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Jenkins |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Angela Milonas |
| 2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bradford W. Smith |
