PORT TOWNSEND — In this show, a full-grown man gets to walk into the scenes of his childhood.
He relives moments of great longing, deep embarrassment and the ups and downs of Christmas with the family — all with generous portions of comedy — in “A Christmas Story,” the show starting a three-week run at the Key City Playhouse, 419 Washington St. First up is the preview at 7 p.m. this Thursday; and opening night comes Friday.
As in the 1983 movie version, grown-up Ralph Parker (played by Seattle-based actor and director Duncan Frost) travels back in time to the Christmas when he desperately wanted a Red Ryder air rifle, and must convince his family and select others exactly why he’s got to have it.
Unlike the film, which only has the older Ralph’s disembodied voice, Key City’s stage production has him as a flesh and-blood guy mingling with the past.
“I walk right up to my memory of my former self . . . It’s very fun,” Frost said.
Plenty happens in this “Christmas Story,” written by Jean Shepherd and set in the Midwest during the 1940s.
The days leading up to Dec. 25 offer an escape from the monotony of meatloaf and red cabbage for dinner. And 9-year-old Ralphie (Hunter Heim) pulls out the stops in pursuit of his dream gift.
He sends his parents subversive messages, writes a persuasive essay for his teacher, crafts a speech to convince Santa, and dives into a fantasy world where he rescues his family from bandits, all in the hope of finding that Red Ryder under the tree on Christmas morning.
Swirling through Ralphie’s world like the Indiana snow are Ralphie’s father, with his determination to win a “major award;” the schoolyard bully Scut Farkus; and his friend Flick, who accepts a triple-dog dare involving a frozen flagpole.
There’s also the pink bunny suit: the one present Ralphie gets to open early. It was homemade by Aunt Clara, and therefore he must wear the thing, no matter how mortifying it is.
Key City’s “Christmas Story” cast is a big family: 11 children and five adults including Carter Swartout as Flick, Mark Valentine as the Old Man, Hanna Lose-Frahn as Mother, Amy Dahlberg as Miss Shields and Trillium Burbank as Ralphie’s love interest Esther Jane.
Marcy Girt, recently seen in the cast of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at the Key City Playhouse, is the director.
“A Christmas Story” will unfold at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with matinees at 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 20. Two more Saturday shows are set at 4 p.m. on Dec. 12 and at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19.
This run also has two pay-what-you-wish performances: this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and next Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. And while all shows are child-friendly, three specially priced family shows are coming up. These performances,which feature treats for kids and a chance to have pictures taken on stage with the characters, are slated at 7 p.m. this Sunday, at 4 p.m. on Dec. 12 and finally at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19. Tickets are $3 for small-child lap seating, $7 for ages 12 and younger, $10 for ages 13-18, and $10 for any adult who comes with a child.
Family show tickets go quickly, so theater-goers are encouraged to phone 360-385-KCPT (5278) in advance.
For the rest of the run, tickets are $20 for Thursday and Sunday evenings and all matinees; $24 on Friday and Saturday evenings and $10 for students at any performance. Details and reservations await at keycitypublictheatre.org.
“I think people love this story,” Girt muses, “because it’s about creating magical experiences. It’s a reminder that we have the power to create a special day for the people we love.”
Frost, now that he’s looked back on Ralphie’s life, puts it another way: “Having each another and having love,” he said, are the really good gifts on Christmas.
________
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
