MARINE CITY, Mich.–A Christmas Story has been elevated in the past few decades from modern holiday tale to cult favorite to legitimate classic status. How do you take a tale that is now loved by multiple generations and give audiences something new to love about it? Recreate it as a musical, of course. A Christmas Story ultimately arrived as a musical in 2012 (music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Joseph Robinette); it received multiple Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. Aaron and Brittany Smith are directing this lively production at The Riverbank Theatre in Marine City.

This story, set roughly in the early 1940s, follows young Ralphie (Noah Ross) on his holiday quest to receive a Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun for Christmas. Ralphie’s story is narrated by a radio announcer (Brian Ross) named Jean Shepherd after the author of the original semi-autobiographical short stories on which A Christmas Story is based, but who clearly represents an adult Ralphie. (Brian and Noah Ross are real-life father and son).

Ralphie astutely senses some resistance from his parents regarding the BB gun, and puts into play multiple strategies to achieve his goal, including getting an advertisement for the gun into his parents’ hands, writing a A++++ theme in school about BB guns as Christmas presents, and asking Santa himself. Things don’t look so bright after a series of incidents, including Ralphie’s use of the foulest word he had ever heard and a fist fight with a neighborhood bully, cause Ralphie to lose hope until Christmas morning.

Along the way, we meet Ralphie’s devoted and dependable Mother (Lucianna Piazza); his Old Man (Aaron Dennis Smith), a self-described crossword genius; his younger brother Randy (Connor Martin), teacher Miss Shields (Anita Newby) and several neighborhood kids, both friend and foe.

This musical is an escapade in humor, whether or not you’ve seen the film. All the traditionally favorite scenes and lines are included; the story is well paced, and each vignette stands well on its own. Importantly, the musical numbers are an integral component of the humorous storytelling, not simply inserted gratuitously as is the case with some musical adaptations.

Performance highlights are numerous. Brian Ross as the narrator has the voice and diction reminiscent of the velvety tones of a dying breed of radio announcers. He delivers the dry wit with ease. Aaron Smith as The Old Man probably generates most of the laughs with a combination of dialogue (both on-stage and off) and strong vocal performance. “The Genius of Cleveland Street” and “A Major Award,” both featuring Smith, are two of the musical high points of the show. Newby as Miss Shields only appears in a few scenes, but she commands those scenes with strong vocals, straight-faced comedic delivery and lively choreography.

The young cast, mainly local 6^th-8^th graders, are confident and capable both in dialogue and vocal ensembles. Noah Ross has the ability to sing while smiling (a skill that is harder than it appears). The schoolyard “frozen tongue” scene is quite entertaining; they also show off some tap dancing skills along with Newby in “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out.”

There are some other choices that work extremely well, including the period costumes, the nifty family car and the inclusion of two well-trained (and adorable) dogs as the Bumpus Hounds.

There is a short list of technical kinks that should be worked out, including scene changes involving the rotating stage, and the synchronization of mics when characters appear on stage. None of those detracts much on the whole from the enjoyable aspects of the show. One particular prop mishap actually became one of funniest moments of the show thanks to the composure and improv skills of cast members.

Overall, A Christmas Story is an excellent contender for an evening of fun and hilarity that will satisfy family members of all ages. It is playing at The Riverbank Theatre in Marine City through December 22, 2018.

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