• Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archive
  • Contact
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Find us
San Diego Uptown News
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Film
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Feature
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • SD Zoo News
  • Food & Drink
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • History
      • PastMatters
    • Homes & Garden
      • HouseCalls
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Parenting
    • Pets
  • Business
    • Best Of Uptown
    • Business Profiles
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Sponsored links
    • Expert Advice
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Balboa Park
    • Bankers Hill
    • Downtown
    • Golden Hill
    • Hillcrest
    • Kensington
    • Mission Hills
    • North Park
    • Normal Heights
    • Old Town
    • South Park
    • Talmadge
    • University Heights
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Film
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Feature
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • SD Zoo News
  • Food & Drink
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • History
      • PastMatters
    • Homes & Garden
      • HouseCalls
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Parenting
    • Pets
  • Business
    • Best Of Uptown
    • Business Profiles
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Sponsored links
    • Expert Advice
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Balboa Park
    • Bankers Hill
    • Downtown
    • Golden Hill
    • Hillcrest
    • Kensington
    • Mission Hills
    • North Park
    • Normal Heights
    • Old Town
    • South Park
    • Talmadge
    • University Heights
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
San Diego Uptown News
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

‘A Christmas Story,’ but this time it’s a musical

SDCNN by SDCNN
December 13, 2019
in Featured, Theater
5
‘A Christmas Story,’ but this time it’s a musical

There is a cast of 25 people in the show.

0
SHARES
120
VIEWS

By JEAN LOWERISON | Uptown News

What’s a kid to do when what he really wants for Christmas is an air rifle, but nobody wants to hear about it?

To be specific, 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (JP Wishchuk) wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock. But all he hears when he mentions it is, “You’ll put an eye out!”

Ralphie and his kid brother Randy (Abraham German) live with their parents Mom (Heidi Meyer) and The Old Man (Jake Millgard) somewhere in Indiana in the 1940s. The story is told by a narrator (actually Ralphie as an adult, played appealingly by Steve Gunderson), who reminisces about those good old days.

The story meanders around a bit and doesn’t bother pounding a Christmas message at you (kind of refreshing after the other holiday shows), mixing a fairly standard schoolboy story with preparations for the big holiday, minus the preaching.

So we see Ralphie and Randy going to school, where we find teacher Miss Shields (a funny Barbara Schoenhofer) trying to keep the little wretches in line. Of course, we also have mean Scut Farkus (Jojo Eddington), the school bully, and his sidekick Grover Dill (Joshua Hitchcock). And Ralphie has a friend named Schwartz (Spencer Kearns), who teaches him bad words.

The kids do kid stuff, including one incident in which poor Flick (Mark Mahaffey)

is crazy enough to put tongue to flagpole outside on a snowy winter day, causing “A Sticky Situation.”

“A Christmas Story” has had a checkered past, beginning as a film in 1983. It was rewritten as a stage musical and opened in 2009 Kansas City. Then the music was rewritten by “La La Land” and “Dear Evan Hansen” composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; that version played on Broadway in 2012.

The latter is the version San Diego Musical Theatre presents through Dec. 29 at the Horton Grand Theatre.

It’s a sprightly show, featuring 25 people and some 18 songs, a nice 12-piece orchestra led by Don LeMaster, and some good choreography by Jill Gorrie.

Meyer is especially fine as Ralphie’s mom, and sings one of the best songs — “Just Like That.”

Millgard is always welcome, and has a star turn of his own as The Old Man (i.e., Dad), the self-proclaimed “Genius of Cleveland Street” — a crossword-puzzle freak. When he wins what is billed as “A Major Award,” things get really strange.

The award comes in an enormous box, and consists of a … lady’s leg? (plastic, of course) and a lampshade? Oh, yeah, it’s a lamp. Remember those?

Mathys Herbert designed the niftily versatile dual-level set with a fold-out kitchen (I want one of those) and lots of movable stuff, including a cute little car.

But in the end, “It All Comes Down to Christmas,” and when it comes, everything seems fine. Just like it should.

— Jean Lowerison is a long-standing member of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle and can be reached at infodame@gmail.com. 

Related Posts

  • Hillcrest killer gets 76 years to lifeHillcrest killer gets 76 years to life
  • From Downtown thrift store to busy retail operationFrom Downtown thrift store to busy retail operation
  • Recognize The Signs Of Aging: Understanding Personality Changes In Older AdultsRecognize The Signs Of Aging: Understanding Personality Changes In Older Adults
  • Remnants of the past: San Diego’s first railwayRemnants of the past: San Diego’s first railway
  • Enjoy Playing Word Games With Your Friends? Here’s How To Become A ProEnjoy Playing Word Games With Your Friends? Here’s How To Become A Pro
  • 4 Common Mistakes to Avoid as a Startup Business Owner4 Common Mistakes to Avoid as a Startup Business Owner
Previous Post

Mission Hills seniors: It takes a village

Next Post

Understanding the ER: Know where to go for care

Next Post
Scripps Hospital progressing with emergency department expansion

Understanding the ER: Know where to go for care

Comments 5

  1. scootish fold kısırlaştırma says:
    1 month ago

    kedi kısırlaştırma ve scootish fold kısırlaştırma

  2. Erdal can alkoçlar says:
    1 month ago

    Thank you for every other informative blog.

  3. Boya Ustası says:
    1 month ago

    Thank you for every other informative blog.

  4. alacam haber sitesi says:
    1 month ago

    thank you

  5. rusyaya kargo says:
    3 weeks ago

    Rusya’ya kargo göndermek istiyor musunuz? Rusya’da akrabalarınız ya da arkadaşlarınız mı yaşıyor? Yoksa ticaret mi yapıyorsunuz? Rusya Kargo Taşımacılığı

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Category

  • Adams Avenue
  • Art
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Balboa Park
  • Bankers Hill
  • Bars & Happy Hours
  • Best Of Uptown
  • Books
  • Business
  • Business Profiles
  • Calendar
  • Community
  • Community Profile
  • Community Updates
  • Community Voices
  • Congressional Watch
  • D3 Update
  • Dance
  • District 53 Dispatch
  • Downtown
  • Editorials
  • Elected Official Reports
  • Expert Advice
  • Fashion
  • Feature
  • Featured
  • Featured News
  • Film
  • Finance
  • Five Points-Middletown
  • Food & Drink
  • From the Cover
  • Golden Hill
  • Guest Editorial
  • Health & Fitness
  • Hillcrest
  • Hillcrest Town Council update
  • History
  • Homes & Garden
  • HouseCalls
  • Kensington
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
  • Mara Elliott
  • Mission Hills
  • Music
  • Neighborhoods
  • News
  • News & Features
  • Normal Heights
  • North Park
  • Notes from Toni
  • Old Town
  • Opinion
  • Parenting
  • PastMatters
  • Pets
  • Photography
  • Politics
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • SD Zoo News
  • Small Business
  • South Park
  • Suds in the city
  • Summer Stephan
  • Talmadge
  • The Spoken Word
  • Theater
  • Top Story
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • University Heights
  • Uptown Brews
  • Uptown Briefs
  • Uptown Food Briefs

Site Links

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Music
    • Books
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
    • Feature
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Suds in the city
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Expert Advice
      • Sponsored Links
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Fashion
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • History
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Bankers Hill
    • Balboa Park
    • Old Town
    • Kensington
    • University Heights
    • Normal Heights
    • South Park
    • Mission Hills
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • HouseCalls
      • SD Zoo News
  • Best Of Uptown
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Archive

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

desi sex
forced sex stories
desi chut