Now on stage at the Fisher Theatre is the exciting and beautifully crafted musical, “A Christmas Story”; it is the embellished retelling of Jean Parker Shepherd’s childhood desire for an air rifle back in the 30’s, when he lived in northern Indiana. Full of song, dance and contagious spirit, this show is an instant holiday hit.
Produced by Peter Billingsley, the actor who starred as Ralphie in the cinematic version, the Broadway musical version is a contender for the season’s best holiday show. It rivals Mary Poppins in energy, The Sound of Music in charm, and Charlie Brown in story line and character development.
The show had not even reached intermission, when the audience was moved to thunderous applause for John Bolton, who kicked butt and kicked high his heels in an outrageously funny chorus line. Bolton is known for his role as D.A. John Summerhill on the television soap opera All My Children, and has a stage presence that makes you want to scream Daddy!
John Bolton’s version of Daddy (“The Old Man”) is the kind you want to bring home with you, peccadillos and all. His obsession in applying for contests reminded me of myself, and his attachment to the crap he wins is just like me. Just today, I received a notice Adam Barber at The Henry Ford congratulating me upon being selected as a winner in The Henry Ford’s Club Ed 100-Day Giveaway! It said I would receive my prize within a month. Could it be a lamp like Ralphie’s daddy won?
I once lived in northern Indiana, too, so I understand the tastes and culture of its people. While a lamp shaped like a leg might be kitsch in many parts of the country, in Indiana, it fits right in. They sell the same lamps at Target, there. And kids really do ask for guns for Christmas. My nephew wanted a semi-automatic assault rifle, and my sister bought one in her name for him, since he is a minor.
My friend, Bill Krout said, “If you are a fan of the book and film you will love the musical on stage! Simply charming, and the actor’s performances were amazing! It was a full house and the audience just loved it.”
I took my friend Gary Rimar for his upcoming birthday; we both thought the show was a hoot. Gary said, “In the theater, they heard one VERY loud laugh during one of the final scenes. Yes, a play based in Indiana had a Jewish joke that caught this Jew solidly.”
This performance is well-timed, loaded with happy music, has delightful staging and an orchestra that never misses a beat. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim or avowed Heathen, you will love this holiday musical.
A Christmas Story The Musical runs November 15, 2011 - November 27, 2011
Tuesday - Saturday at 7:30pm
Sunday Evenings at 6:30pm
Saturday Matinees at 2:00pm
Sunday Matinees at 1:00pm
Special Weekday Matinee on 11/17 at 1:00pm
Special Monday Night performance on 11/21 at 7:30pm
No Show on 11/24 Thanksgiving
(¯`♥´¯) .♥.•*¨`* ♥.•
´*.¸.•´♥Anton Anderssen
Anton Anderssen is a professionally paid writer for Examiner.com, a Top 100 website, having over 18 million unique monthly visitors. Examiner.com has teamed with Thomson Reuters to license, distribute and share news articles across the United States through their new flagship service, Reuters America. Syndication in Reuters America marks a huge milestone in the history of Examiner.com. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider touching more than 1 billion people a day. Examiner.com is a division of the Clarity Digital Group, LLC, which owns a broad array of assets in print and digital media--including Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and Walden Media--live sports and entertainment, hospitality, film production and exhibition and wind energy development. Examiner.com launched officially in April, 2008, as a unique national news and information website with targeted local content.
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Cast Bios
JOHN BOLTON (The Old Man). Mr. Bolton originated the role of Grady in Broadway's Curtains. He was in the original Broadway companies of Monty Python's Spamalot, Contact and Titanic, all three of which won the Tony for Best Musical, and in the hit revivals of How to Succeed... and Damn Yankees. He recently played George in Same Time Next Year and Harold Hill in The Music Man. TV: “Boardwalk Empire”, “The Good Wife,” “Gossip Girl”, “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”, “Ed”, “Heart and Soul”, “All My Children”, “As the World Turns”, “Guiding Light”, “The Late Show.”
GENE WEYGANDT (Jean Shepherd). Mr. Weygandt is perhaps best known as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked on Broadway and in Chicago, as well as two other recent Stephen Schwartz shows: Working and Snapshots. Also on Broadway, Mr. Weygandt originated the role of Paul in Big: The Musical. He is a three-time recipient of Chicago’s prestigious Joseph Jefferson “Best Actor in a Musical” Award. Film: The Birdcage, The Babe, and The Pager. Television: “Home Improvement,” “Cybill,” “Murphy Brown,” “Drew Carey,” “Ellen, Coach,” “U.S.A. High,” “University Hospital,” T”he Beast,” and “Oh, Baby.” He's also a voice-over actor you’ve likely heard hundreds of times.
CLARKE HALLUM (Ralphie). Clarke is grateful to be returning to A Christmas Story, the Musical! to be a part of this fantastic production. It was an amazing experience to play "Ralphie" last year at the 5th Avenue Theatre and to be in the cast recording! Past productions include The Secret Garden, Willy Wonka and Beauty and the Beast. Thanks to Richard Liedle, Jacob Rodvelt-Gamlieli, Nancy Carson, Troy Fisher and my Capital Playhouse family.
RACHEL BAY JONES (Mother). Broadway - Women on the Verge (standby/performed Lucia); Hair (Mother, Buddhadalirama); Meet Me In St. Louis (Lucille). Tours - Grand Hotel (Trude); Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel); Rent (Berlin Company; German Language version). Off-Broadway - The Actress in Hello Again (Drama League honor, Transport Group); Boys from Syracuse (Encores). Regional - Sylvia (title role) at Berkshire Theatre Festival; Anna, opposite Lou Diamond Phillips in King and I; Urinetown (Penelope Pennywise - Carbonell Award); Johnny Guitar (Vienna); English and Spanish language versions of Evita (Eva); and others.
JOHN FRANCIS BABBO (Grover Dill, Randy understudy). A Chicago native, John’s previous credits include: A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim) at the Goodman, Sweeney Todd (Ensemble u/s Tobias) at Drury Lane, Night and Day (Alastair) with Remy Bumppo and Medea (Son) at the Merle Reskin. John is in 5th grade; plays travel soccer, and studies piano and violin.
JONATHAN BURKE (Ensemble, Fireman). Off-Broadway - Urban Stages: Langston in Harlem (Junior Addict). Tours -Cats (Mungojerrie). Regional favorites - Hangar Theatre: Rent (Angel); Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: Hairspray (Seaweed); Baltimore Centerstage: The Wiz. Commercials- Daffy's & BabyBel Cheese. BFA, Ithaca College.
ANDREW CRISTI (Ensemble, Elf, Waiter). Off-Broadway/Cast Album: "Jake" in Freckleface Strawberry (New World Stages). Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merry-Go-Round, Gateway, Fireside. Industrial/voiceover: Pricewaterhouse Coopers, TD Bank. BFA: NYU/Tisch (CAP21).
SALLY ELTING (Ensemble, Little Nancy). Sally has done TV commercials since she was three. She was Peter Pan in Neverland with The Entertainment Project. Her film work includes two independent movies and Superman, Man of Steel.
NICK GASWIRTH (Ensemble, Foley Artist, Radio Quartet Voice, Delivery man, Tree Salesman). NY/Regional: Yeast Nation (FringeNYC), James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed), Minnie’s Boys and Knickerbocker Holiday (York Theatre), The Full Monty (Westchester Broadway), Candide and A Year With Frog and Toad (Arden Theatre Co). BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan
NICHOLAS DANIEL GONZALEZ (Flick). Credits include Oliver! (Charles Bates, Children's Dance Captain), Gallery Players; Sesame Street (Kid – Word On the Street), Television: PSA – Anti Bullying (Middle School Student).
CASEY GORAB (Mary Beth). Casey is thrilled to be making her national stage debut! Theater: Gypsy (Baby Louise), Annie (Annie), The Music Man (Gracie Shin), The Sound of Music (Gretl). Performed with the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, Christmas 2010.
DREA GORDON (Esther Jane). Drea (14) is ecstatic to be part of this wonderful tour! Credits: A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Joseph..., Whistle Down the Wind (5th Avenue), The Music Man (Seattle Symphony).
LESLIE HENSTOCK (Ensemble, Radio Quartet; Mother understudy). A Michigan native, Leslie holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. Off Broadway: Frankenstein (Original Cast Recording). Tours: The Light in the Piazza (Clara u/s), Les Miserables (Cosette). Regional: Maria in The Sound of Music, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. Film: HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Founding member of the cabaret group, People You May Know. www.lesliehenstock.com.
CARL KIMBROUGH (Swing, Ralphie understudy). Credits include Saint-Ex (Francois), Weston Playhouse; Suprema (Pete), Eugene O’Neill; La Boheme (A Boy) and Brundibar (Pepicek), Asheville Lyric Opera; Oliver (Artful Dodger), Asheville Community Theatre, Green Eggs and Ham (Sam I Am), and Atlanta Symphony. Experience includes Atlanta Boy Choir and Cantare Youth Choirs.
MATTHEW LEWIS (Randy). Matthew is excited to reprise this role, which he played last year at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Other stage credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, and the title role in Oliver! Vocal training includes The Northwest Boychoir and Victoria Whitlow.
KAREN MASON (Miss Shields, Ensemble). Broadway: Wonderland, Hairspray, Mamma Mia! (Drama Desk nom), Sunset Boulevard, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Torch Song Trilogy. Off-Broadway: And the World Goes Round, Carnival (Drama Desk nom). CDs: Right Here, Right Now (MAC 2009 CD of the Year), Sweetest of Nights, When The Sun Comes Out, Better Days (1998 Emmy Award), Not So Simply Broadway, Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!. TV: “L&O” “L&O: SVU.”
SEAN McKNIGHT (Swing, Dance Captain). was last seen touring the country with Shrek the Musical. Other New York/National Tour credits include: Curtains, The Producers, 42nd Street, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt, Annie Get Your Gun (Tommy Keeler), Girl Crazy, Stairway to Paradise, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Kennedy Center: Ragtime, Carnival, and Mame.
MARA NEWBERY (Swing, Ass’t Dance Captain). Mara is honored to be a part of this new musical. Recently, she was on the Equity 1st National Tour of Shrek the Musical (Dance Captain). BFA ,Musical Theatre, University of Michigan.
ADAM PELTY (Santa Claus, Doctor, Ensemble; understudy The Old Man). Broadway: The Scarlet Pimpernel (original choreography/Elton), Cyrano – The Musical (Valvert), Steel Pier, Joseph (Simeon), A Christmas Carol (Fred), and Titanic (Fleet). Chicago: The Drowsy Chaperone (Jeff nomination) at the Marriott, Spamalot at Drury Lane. Adam has served on the faculties of NYU, Ithaca College and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Founder of Moveable Arts, a Broadway education company.
LYN PHILISTINE (Ensemble). Broadway/Tours: Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), directed by Mike Nichols, Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt, Disney's On the Record. Off-Broadway/Regional: My Secret Garden, The Fartiste (La Goulue), Golf (Leading Lady), Oliver! (Nancy), Sugar Babies (Soubrette), ACL (Cassie), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary), Spelling Bee (Miss Peretti). BFA-CCM.
CHARLIE PLUMMER (Scut Farcus). Charlie Plummer is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story, The Musical! NY Theatre: Yeast Nation by Greg Kotis/Mark Hollman, Far From Heaven, Playwrights Horizons, directed by Michael Grief. Film/TV: Twylight Zones (Paramount/David Chase); Michael Thompson (recurring) on Boardwalk Empire.
ALEX PUETTE (Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story! National Tours: Young Frankenstein (u/s Monster), Legally Blonde. Regional: 42nd Street, The Producers, The Muny; A Chorus Line (Greg), West Virginia Public; Fiddler…, Kansas City Starlight.
JOHNNY RABE (Insistent Boy, Ensemble, understudy Flick and Schwartz) is excited to be part of this wonderful show. Credits include The Music Man and For the Boys (Marriott Theatre) and Shadowlands and Wizard of Oz (Provision Theatre).
KAYLA REA (Swing), age 11, is thrilled to be making her professional debut in A Christmas Story! Past productions include Children's Letters To God, Seussical the Musical, and Annie. Next up...Gypsy at Drury Lane Theater, Oakbrook, Illinois, January 2012.
EMILY RUDOLPH (Ensemble). A NW native, Emily is ecstatic to be on her second national tour with ACS. She toured as Tessie with the last National Tour of Annie. Besides other exciting projects, Emily lends her voice as Annie with The Magic Treehouse website.
JAKE BENNETT SIEGFRIED (Schwartz; understudy Scut Farcus and Grover Dill). Jake is thrilled to rejoin the cast of ACS. He first appeared as Randy Parker in the World Premier of A Christmas Story the Musical at the KC Rep. Learn more about Jake at www.jakebennettsiegfried.com.
MARGUERITE WILLBANKS (Ensemble, Radio Quartet, Flick’s Mother; Miss Shields understudy). Broadway: Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche). National Tours: Young Frankenstein (Frau Blucher u.s.), Disney's Beauty and the Beast, The Secret Garden (Lily/Martha u.s.). Marguerite has performed extensively in regional theatres and with symphony orchestras across the U.S. and can be heard on several motion picture sound tracks including Disney's Enchanted.
GEORGE ANDREW WOLFF (Ensemble, Jean Shepard and Santa understudy). National: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chicago Company). Regional: Sweeney Todd, Ragtime (Drury Lane), Guys and Dolls, Hairspray, A Christmas Carol, Light in the Piazza, The Producers, Sunset Boulevard (Marriott Theatre), Willy Wonka, The Emperor’s New Clothes (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Cats (TATC), Treasure Island (Fulton), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Bailiwick Repertory), Annie Get Your Gun and Camelot (Ravinia) and Side by Side by Sondheim (Jeff Award Nomination).
KIRSTEN WYATT (Ensemble, Elf). Happy to be portraying the third elf of her career. Broadway: Elf (Santa’s Elf), Shrek (Shoemaker’s Elf), Grease (Frenchy, 2007 revival), High Fidelity (Anna), The Pajama Game (Poopsie), Urinetown (Little Becky Two Shoes), and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy/Sally standby). TV: Naked Brothers Band, ATWT, AMC.
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