Be there: Town Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Story’

It’s beginning to look a lot like, dare I say, Christmas?

The stores already are stocking merchandise – weeks before Thanksgiving. And holiday shows are opening this week, with the classic “A Christmas Story” re-imagined in a Town Theatre production.

As the story goes, it’s 1930s Indiana, where a bespectacled boy named Ralphie wants only one thing for Christmas: an official Red Ryder 200-shot carbine-action range model air rifle. A kooky leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a cranky department store Santa and a triple-dog dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the obstacles between Ralphie and his Christmas dream.

Directed by Milena Herring, the protagonist role of Ralphie Parker will be portrayed by Cade Melnyk (“Mary Poppins”). His older and wiser alterego (Ralph), who provides the story’s framework, will be a role shared by Mark Ingham (“The Rainmaker”) and Town newcomer Dan Unumb.

“It’s a lot of work for an actor,” Herring said of providing the voice of Ralph. “There’s a lot of voice-over, and the voice-over interacts with the characters. He says what the little boy is thinking. And that is true in the stage play too. It’s a real challenge for both actors.”

Herring, who has 25 years of stage directing under her belt, was approached to direct the play, having never seen the movie.

“I think I am probably one of the last people in America who had never seen or heard of the movie,” she said. “I know in South Carolina, it’s played on a loop around Christmastime on one of the stations, but I had never heard of it. The first time I heard of it at all was when I was called in to talk about directing it. I read the script and said yes. It’s a wonderful story. It has become such a holiday tradition. I love the Parker family.”

Since seeing the movie, Herring said the biggest difference is the narrator being played by an actor, instead of just being a voice-over in the movie. As far as costumes and sets are concerned, Herring feels assured that they are doing the movie justice.

“We ordered the ‘Major Award’ leg lamp,” she said. “There’s ‘A Christmas Story’ museum in the house in Indiana where it was filmed. You wouldn’t believe the number of things you can buy. And they’re not inexpensive, but I’m sure that’s where productions all over the country order their leg lamps.” (At “A Christmas Story’s” online gift shop, legs lamps go for $149.99 for the 45-inch and $199 for the Deluxe 50-inch model.)

But as far as sticking to the story, Herring is happy to report that those looking for the beloved original will get just what they want.

“It’s such a beloved movie that people would be really upset if you didn’t have the actual Red Ryder BB gun language,” she said.

So instead of just catching “A Christmas Story” on the tube, catch it on the stage.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Be there: Town Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Story’."