Old story, new trend

The Evangeline Players take part in growing trend

Posted December 22nd, 2009
A TRIPLE DOG DARE leaves Flick's, played by Ty Theriot, tongue stuck to an icy cold pole, in a December performance held at the Duchamp Opera House.
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St. Martinville – Originally published as a series of short stories in the 1970s, and later as a sleeper hit film in the early 1980s, A Christmas Story is gaining new momentum in the world of theatre.

Our very own Evangeline Players presented the play throughout December at the Duchamp Opera House.

Vincent P. Barras directed the play, written by Jean Shepherd, which has gone through quite a transformation since it was first seen by major audiences more than 20 years ago.

Barras is one of many directors who are part of a growing trend to present the story as a play. Of course this has been done for many years now, but it’s becoming more widespread, and directors at many major theatres are taking notice.

For instance, because of A Christmas Story, places like the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Pioneer Theatre Company in Utah are selling the most tickets in their history. Five years ago, Cleveland Playhouse, founded in 1915, broke its all-time record for ticket sales because of this story that is becoming a new Christmas classic, relatively speaking.

So what is it that makes this seemingly simple holiday story so appealing? For starters, it’s a story filled with nostalgia. And what a better time to present a story filled with nostalgia than during the Christmas season. It’s also very likeable, because it’s something the whole family can enjoy and appreciate; it attracts both young and old audiences. It also posesses a certain familiarity that really speaks to people during the holiday season.

The script is set in 1940s Indiana in the fictional city of Hohman, where nine-year-old Ralphie Parker lives.

The plot is centered around Ralphie’s dream of having a Red Ryder 200-shot BB rifle for Christmas, and everyone else’s ideas about why he shouldn’t have one.

Other subplots which keep audiences entertained are those involving Ralphie’s parents, The Old Man and Mrs. Parker, Ralphie’s brother, Randy, and Ralphie’s friends, Flick and Schwartz, among others.

As the play continues to spread to more theatres throughout the country, there has been talk to take it all the way to Broadway, which will provide yet another way to tell a tale that has captured the imaginations of so many.

(In keeping with tradition, TBS will broadcast a 24-hour marathon viewing of A Christmas Story, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.)