Waterloo East Theatre, London – until 22 December 2018
Reviewed by Sabrina Fancy
4****
As a huge fan of the 1983 film ‘A Christmas story, I was excited to learn that the film was adapted for the stage. From the songwriting team behind award-winning films, La La Land and The Greatest Showman, – I had high expectations for the musical.
The story, which takes place in 1940’s Indiana, USA follows 9-year-old bespectacled Ralphie Parker and his wintery exploits in the run up to Christmas. These include avoiding bullies and fantasising about his ultimate Christmas gift – The Red Ryder BB Gun. Unfortunately, his pleas for the popular present are always met with the classic line ‘You’ll shoot your eye out.’. With Ralphie frequently at odds with his brother, cranky father and loving mother, he struggles to make it to Christmas with his glasses – and hope – intact.
To my delight, the show was very closely aligned with the film. Many of the acts in the musical were word for word from the movie and it never strayed from the original story. All of the classic lines and gags show up, including Ralphie’s big swear word, the leg lamp, and, of course, “you’ll shoot your eye out.”
It was interesting to see how one of my favourite scenes from the movie was re-created, when Flick’s gets his tongue stuck on a frozen flagpole. The scene was perfectly replicated with the addition of the Flick trying to sing while his tongue was frozen!
The cast in this production are excellent and very talented. Playing the parts of Mr. & Mrs. Parker are Simon Willmont and Lucyelle Cliffe and the narrator Jean Shepherd is Garry Freer. I thought the standout performances were from Jenny Gayner and 16-year-old Bradley Riches who played the part of the bully Farkus, who I believe has a bright future in the theatre. The other child actors were very sweet and talented.
The musical numbers in this production are stellar! The creators of this production chose to simply take the funniest moments from the movie and elevate them, by the use of song, fit for the stage. The tunes are very catchy and include: ‘It all comes down to Christmas’, ‘Red Ryder Carbine’, ‘Action BB gun’ and ‘When you’re a wimp.’
This was a fun and uplifting show. Perfect for an evening out with the family! I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a fun holiday show and it is a must if you are a fan of the film.