Nobol Fool presents loyal 'Christmas Story'

When the TBS television network runs its 24-hour marathon of the beloved 1983 film "A Christmas Story" each year, beginning on Christmas Eve, I am one of the fans who just lets the film play over and over again.

I know every scene, practically every line by heart, but I am always swept away into the magic of a young boy's 1940s Christmas in northern Indiana... the old radio blaring the "Little Orphan Annie" serial, the snow falling through the window, the red cabbage bubbling on the stove,

It's not easy to stage a production of a holiday film that is now considered to be a classic, but Noble Fool Theatricals takes on the challenge with its stage production of "A Christmas Story" at the Pheasant Run Resort Maintstage Theater in St. Charles.

John Gawlik directs and John Gray narrates the tale of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (played by Gabriel Harder), whose only dream is to get an "official Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot range model air rifle" BB gun. Gray portrays the adult Ralphie, looking back on his boyhood quest for the greatest Christmas gift ever.

Gray appears onstage in nearly every scene, standing "invisibly" with the other performers or off to the side of the stage, using his strong voice to inject both humor and sentiment. At times, Grays's voice mirrors the inflections of film's narrator, co-author Jean Shepherd.

Actor Tom McElroy is a gem as Ralphie's father, "The Old Man." McElroy brings life to his character's crusty exterior, and there is a daffiness to his daily grumblings about the neighboring pack of dogs who are forever chasing him, but seemingly no one else in the neighborhood. McElroy is right on target with "The Old Man's" penchant for using a remarkable string of creative expletives for everything from a smoking furnace to a destroyed Christmas dinner.

One of my favorite characters in the film is Mrs. Parker, played to perfection by Melinda Dillon. With her ready giggle and childlike joy in looking at life, Dillon handles her bellowing husband and two young boys with humor and love.

In this production, actress Julie Ganey seems miscast, too formal and aloof for the role. Most of her lines are uttered with a royal air about them, and she rarely reacts to the humor around her. When Ganey's Mrs. Parker entices her son Randy (Michael Etzkorn) to eat his oatmeal from his dish by pretending to be a snorting pig - another favorite scene from the movie - her "mommy's little piggy" lines fall completely flat.

The script is basically loyal to the film with such moments as Ralphie's friend Flick (Garrett Lee Weaver) freezing his tongue to a lamppost after being "triple-dog-dared" and the arrival of a contest's prize for Ralphie's father - "It's a major award!" - in the form of a sultry-looking leg lamp. And there is Ralphie, finally receiving his Red Ryder BB gun on Christmas morning, racing outside to use it for the first time - a sweet moment and one of Harder's best scenes.

And when the production veers away from the film, it's not for the better. We see Ralphie's teacher Miss Shields (Mary Hollis Inboden) sipping some sort of beverage from a holiday mug and obviously drunk - unnecessary and out of place in this family-friendly show. And Santa's role is reduced to a voice from offstage.

The Noble Fool set makes the most of a small space, and the audience can see the Parkers' living room, kitchen and Ralphie's bedroom, along with outside happenings, all at once. The comfortable sofa, an old silver coffee pot on the stove and a Saltine cracker tin in the kitchen are small touches that add to a 1940s feel.

At one point, as snow falls outside of the Parkers' onstage living room window, and as the big Christmas lights glow on the family's Christmas tree, you think that perhaps you may just be getting a whiff of that red cabbage bubbling on the stove.

"A Christmas Story"

Location: Pheasant Run Resort Mainstage Theater, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles

Times: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 27

Running time: Two hours with a 15-minute intermission

Tickets: $27-$60

Box office: (630) 584-6342 or ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit noblefool.org.

Rating: Family friendly

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=1&type=video&item=215">Clip from 'A Christmas Story' </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>