Iconic holiday classics and pleasant memory journeys.

Nostalgia is the Christmas story on the Silver Spring Stage menu this holiday season. As a native of Cleveland, Ohio, I have a soft spot for this iconic holiday classic, in which Ralphie Parker wants a Red Ryder BB gun as a Christmas gift. The story takes place in Indiana, but no self-respecting Cleveland native will make you forget that this movie (before Philip Grecian's stage adaptation) was shot in Cleveland in 1983. In Cleveland, watching this movie every holiday is not negotiable. We even wore a pink bunny suit during the Thanksgiving Marathon (the same suit Ralphy’s mother forced him to wear on Christmas Eve). Don't let us start visiting the Christmas Story House Museum, in the house where the movie was shot, where the leg lights gleamed throughout the year. If you come to Cleveland: We will drag you there. You have been warned.

So imagine my excitement when Silver Spring Stage announced that the Christmas story will be the holiday of this post-COVID season, and we all feel nostalgic for the "previous era" when we can celebrate with our family and visit Christmas at the mall The old man, and staring at the grocery store window, dreamed that a turkey would add luster to our Christmas table.

The Christmas story is a glimpse into a simpler era. It is narrated by adult Ralphie, who serves as the narrator of the show, while the childhood stories he tells are also performed on stage. Ralph's memory revolves around wanting a Red Ryder BB Gun and his friends and family around him for Christmas. This story resonated because it touched the nostalgia of many of us about our childhood. Who doesn't remember the bully in his class? The girl who had a crush in elementary school? Or a ceremony that makes the holiday unique to your family?

Brendan Murray played the role of adult Ralph very well, and due to the many lengthy monologues in the show, this role requires a lot of memory. Most of the drama takes place in the adult Ralph standing on one side of the stage, while the actor who plays his childhood family members stands in the middle of the stage. The parents of the young Ralph, played by Charles Blizzard and Carey Bibb, both performed burlesque performances and issued signs such as "This is a major award!" Sex lines. And "You will shoot out your eyes!" with great enthusiasm. Nancy Somers did a great job as Ralphie's teacher. She shines in a very interesting scene. She is grading the essay and complaining that the students are using incorrect margins and points. No.

But the real star is the talented child star. Lucas Laheim plays the young Ralphie. This role requires a lot of stage time and many repetitions. "Official Red Ryder, carbine, 200 rounds, range model air rifle, there is a compass in the butt and this can Something that tells the time." Just that line—the young actor must repeat it at least a dozen times—Rahaim deserves applause. As Ralphie's younger brother Randy, Harper Ruszkowski (I guess he is the youngest member of the crew) is pleasant and interesting, popping out of the closet and exclaiming: "I'm leaving!" (If you have seen this Show, you will know that this sentence has caused fear among Santa Claus in many shopping malls!).

Among the children in the supporting role, Grady Webb (Grady Webb) stands out for his role as Flick, the embattled friend always seems to be the target of the local bully Scut Farkas (Jesse Nuell). Weber caused a lot of laughter from the audience, especially when he succumbed to "Three Dogs Dare" and glued his tongue to the street pole. Shia Ringold also performed well, playing Helen Weathers, the precocious jack-of-all-trades (with Maya Hassenplug as Esther Jane Albert) (Maya Hassenplug) shines in Ralph's class.

In the production process, the rhythm is sometimes dragged down. Especially when some adult Ralphian monologues and children line up to see Santa Claus. A faster tempo will make the joke fall more forcefully and get a bigger laugh. Also a bit outrageous is the dream scene, where Ralph’s mom and dad dance to each other while doing housework (the nutcracker is playing in the background), mom turns off the embarrassing leg light, and dad (who likes lights) Respond by reopening it. For a few minutes I didn't know what the point of the scene was, because it was not clear that they were "arguing" over the leg lights. A little more intentionality at the beginning of the scene (or perhaps raising the light from the ground to make it occupy a more central position in the room) will make the purpose of the scene clearer from the beginning. The laughter might also be louder when Dad took out his "main award" from the box—that is, the leg light—that scared his wife. Anyone who has watched the show before knows that this moment is coming, so playing it will increase the hilariousness.

Special congratulations to the set designer (WATCH award winner Maggie Modig) and the property designer Nancy Davis. Part of the charm of "Christmas Story" lies in its idyllic American environment. Modige and Davis tapped this charm through modern decorations ranging from refrigerators to mobile phones. The clothing is also reminiscent of that era, especially the dress and shoes of Ralphé’s mother (Linda Swann’s clothing). The many dream scenes of the show-we can see the imagination of young Ralph-are well distinguished by the white and blue lights (lighting design by Steve Deming). And bravely collaborated with the close director of Silver Spring (Helen Aberg) on ​​this project, so that the actors can get a safe and respectful working environment.

The director of Fred Zirn made good use of the awkward layout of the venue. The large beam divides the audience into two halves, requiring all stages to take into account the audience's viewing from two angles. This is a tricky place to work, and Zirn succeeded.

Anyone who longs for nostalgia will love this delightful work. My three dogs dare you to try.

Performance time: Two and a half hours, including a 15-minute intermission.

The Christmas story will be played on the Silver Spring Stage at 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland on December 19, 2021. For tickets (US$25 for regular tickets, US$22 for students/seniors, and US$19 for children under 12), please call (301) 593-6036 or buy online at the box office.

COVID Safety: Starting August 8, 2021, Silver Spring Stage requires customers and volunteers to present photo ID and proof of vaccination-physical or digital copy of vaccination card when entering the theater. Regardless of the vaccination situation, all guests need to wear masks. The artists have been vaccinated and wear masks and are not on stage.

The full cast: Ralph-Brendan Murray Ralph Parker-Mother Lucas Laheim-Old Man Kelly Bieber-Charles Blizzard Randy-Miss Harper Ruskowski Shields-South Hisamos Esther Jane Alberg-Maya Hasenpark Helen Wethers-Shiaringold Schwartz/Desperados 1/Bumpus Hound/Tree – Larisa Jeffers Flick/Desperado2/Bumpus Hound/Tree – Grady Webb Scut Farkas/Black Bart/Bumpus Hound/Tree/Jungle Beast – Jesse Nuell Radio Announcer/Police – Peter Orvetti Fireman – Monica Coppola

Production team: Assistant Producer – Ruth Orland Stage Manager – Dana Maksymova Set Designer/Set Designer – Maggie Modig Master Carpenter – Steve Leshin Lighting Designer – Steven Deming Sound Designer – Jeff Goldgeier Property and Set Decoration – Nancy Davis, Joy Wyne Costume Designer – Linda Swann Costume Mistress – Monica Coppola Choreographer – Nancy Scales Harry Fight Choreographer – Justine Crimans Fight Captain – Carey Bibb Music – Arielle Bayer Intimate Choreographer – Helen Aberger Backstage Manager – Peter Orvetti Art Liaison – Jim Robertson

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