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A (real) Christmas Story
The classic film comes to life at Theatrikos, complete with bullies,
bickering and BB guns
By Kat Nichols
Published on 12/10/2009
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Jessie Haviland stars as Ralphie Parker.
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Parents, beware of what your kid wants for Christmas: They might
shoot their eye out.
At least that’s the challenge facing the hero of Theatrikos’ newest
play “A Christmas Story.” It’s a theatrical adaptation of the classic
Bob Clark film from 1983 of the same name. The production follows
young Ralphie Parker in his quest to get the ultimate Christmas
present: an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot
Range Model Air Rifle!
The play is directed by Darby Löfstrand, an adjunct faculty member
at Northern Arizona University with more than 20 years experience
in theater. Löfstrand was originally slated to direct “Miracle on 34th
St.,” but the rights to the play were pulled from the public and she
was left looking for a replacement.
“I thought that ‘A Christmas Story’ would be interesting,” says
Löfstrand. “It had been a movie and it had fewer children, and I
don’t direct children often so I wanted to keep it at a minimum. Also,
I just like the story. The script that is currently in use does require a
judicial amount of editing, because left alone it’s almost a three-
hour play. So we had to cut quite a bit out of it, but I don’t think
anybody misses it.”
Anyone watching the play will not notice any cuts to the story. All
the major elements from Flick sticking his tongue to a frozen pole, to
the Santa scene at Goldblat’s Department Store were kept in, and
executed in fine style. Anything cut was added specifically to the
play adaptation, which was written in 2000. Plus, the space
Theatrikos has to utilize is incredible small, making a more intimate
situation for the audience.
“The thing about seeing it on stage as opposed to just seeing the
movie or digging it out of the dust if you own it, it’s personal,” says
Löfstrand. “It’s right there in front of you, it’s live but you’re getting
the same story but in a much more kind of visceral manner.”
The key to this story is the actors. There are only four adult actors in
the play, and nine children as their co-stars. New to the stage are
Ginger and Jessie Haviland, the mother and son team portraying
young Ralphie and his mother. Ginger Haviland joined the crew
after her son asked her to participate with him, which has made it
easier for her on stage.
“It is very fun, we’re having a good time with it,” Haviland says.
“Incredible amount of hours are involved unfortunately, but it’s a
nice connecting for the two of us, very easy to play the scenes
together. It’s very natural to give him a hug or rough him up or
whatever it is I’m doing in that scene.”
That natural feeling between the two becomes apparent in all of the
scenes where she must punish or help her sons. Haviland comes
off as warm and caring toward her sons. This connection makes it
particularly fun to watch her sticking soap in Ralphie’s mouth after
he says “the mother of all cuss words.” According to Haviland, she
had never stuck soap in her son’s mouth before, and that made it
her favorite scene to work on.
Joining Haviland is Dave Kelly as Ralphie’s dad and veteran actor
George Bufford as the adult Ralphie who narrates the play. Kelly
practically steals the show with his over-the-top performances as the
father, who is “quite a stupid individual” as Kelly describes it.
Meanwhile, Bufford keeps the performance flowing along nicely, his
narration helping the audience to understand what is happening
and get into some of the more humorous elements.
Of course, the real stars of the play are the kids. Ranging from 8 to
11-years-old, the kids work well together as a collective on stage.
Löfstrand says that this did cause some problems during the
production, but the kids really stepped up to the challenge of
performing their parts well.
“It’s like herding cats at times, it really is,” says Löfstrand. “They’re
so high energy that you have to keep them amused all the time,
because if you don’t, they quickly get bored. And in a theater that’s
a very tricky thing to happen, because then they get into trouble.”
For most of the kids, this was their first theatrical production, such
as 11-year-old Jessie Haviland making his debut in the lead.
Though it is his first time acting, he says he’s excited to go on and
continue with more plays. Watching him on stage, one forgets that
he’s a first-time performer, and his acting is on par with the adults.
“In my eyes, I’m usually around the older actors,” Haviland says,
“because I kind of want to learn more about acting. So they tell me
tips about acting, and I really like that.”
Playing his younger brother, Randy, is 8-year-old Clyde Ellis, who
Löfstrand describes as an adorable bundle of energy. For anyone
who is a fan of the movie, it will be obvious why Ellis was cast in the
part. His favorite scene is in Goldblat’s department store because
he gets to yell and ride the stage slide. Ellis bounces all around the
stage, bringing smiles to the viewers.
A big change to this year’s production is the introduction of Scutsy
Farkus, better known as Scut Farkus in the film. This is the big bully
of the play, terrorizing the other kids whenever she gets a chance.
Originally written as a boy, Löfstrand was faced with the dilemma of
not having enough boys audition. She decided to make the
character a girl instead, casting Areya Kugler, who will be 10 years
old later this month. Kugler is a blast to watch as the bully, taking
on the boys and causing them to run at top speed around the
stage.
“It’s really hard to be a bully and a bad student because I’m the
total opposite in real life,” Kugler says. “I think George has helped
me the most, because he’s had a lot of experience. He says that if
you go on without character, it doesn’t really help. I think he’s the
one that gave me the idea to make the angry face backstage
before going out. That helps.”
For viewers going into the play, it’s important to remember that it
isn’t the film. It’s completely different, and in many ways it’s just as
good as the film, if not better. Löfstrand says there is no way they
could hope to emulate the movie, but they took the story and ran
with it, making it the best that they could—a fantastically fun play
that will remind you what Christmas is all about and leave you
walking out of the theater with a giant smile on your face.
“A Christmas Story” will run through Dec. 20 at the Doris Harper-
White Playhouse, 11 W. Cherry, with shows at 8 p.m. on Fridays
and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12–17.
Theatrikos is also holding a silent auction for the play’s leg lamp,
which is an exact replica of the one in the film, and an autographed
shirt that says “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Proceeds from the
auction go to benefit Theatrikids, the theater’s summer children’s
program. For tickets or more information, call 774-1662 or visit www.theatrikos.com.
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