Review: A CHRISTMAS STORY at Pioneer Theatre Company is Warm-Hearted

 

A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL, currently playing at Pioneer Theatre Company is a warm-hearted, wonderfully sentimental reminder of a simpler time.

A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL (music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Joseph Robinette) is based on the 1983 cult classic Christmas movie. Nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the songs were written by the Oscar, Tony, and Grammy winning composers of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN and DEAR EVAN HANSEN. The show was performed as a spectacular live musical event on Fox in 2017. Ralphie is a young boy who navigates the perils of the holiday season as he struggles desperately to convince his parents that what he really needs for Christmas is an "official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time."

Mack Boyer (double cast with Soren Ray) is a pitch-perfect Ralphie, chockful of excitement, angst, and formidable vocal chops.

Danny Bernardy and Stacie Bono play his Old Man and Mother as no-nonsense parents with occasional exasperation but no limit to their love. (Bono was under the weather at the reviewed performance but powered through like the pro she is with her talented understudy, Stephanie Maloney, singing for her offstage.)

Other cast highlights are EJ Zimmerman as teacher (Miss) Shields, Asher Nehring as brother Randy, and Don Noble as narrator Jean Shepherd. The adult and kid ensembles shine.

The set by Broadway designer James Noone has a skeletal quality, no doubt to enable smooth scene transitions, but the overall aesthetic is a mixed bag with some truly lovely elements in front of a cartoonish backdrop that overstays its welcome.

The lighting by Dawn Chiang likewise has some very nice aspects but could have been more dramatically heightened. The cues were sometimes slightly off at the first performance but will surely be tightened as the run continues.

The nostalgic costume design by K.L. Roberts is filled with holiday patterns, plaid, and memories of Christmases long past.

A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL plays through December 24, 2022. For tickets, call the box office at 801-581-6961 or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

Photo Credit: BW Productions

 

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