January 13, 2017
Oconee Youth Playhouse Presents A Christmas Story for Those Who Don't Want Christmas to Be Over
Photo Credit: Kent Hannon
The Old Man (Jeremiah Smith), Mother (Isabel Arenas), Ralphie (Benjamin Bragg) and his little brother Randy (Nate St. Onge).
If you still haven’t taken down your Christmas decorations, Oconee Youth Playhouse has the play for you—especially if your holiday traditions include the 24-hour marathons of cult classic A Christmas Story. Now you can revel in the nostalgia of pre-digital age childhood yearning in live musical form!
The Tony-nominated play features the trials and tribulations of little Ralphie (played by Benjamin Bragg) and his desperate dream of getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. All of your favorite characters (not forgetting the leg lamp) make an appearance. Local high schoolers play the narrator (Zach Deaton); the Old Man, aka Ralphie’s dad (Jeremiah Smith); and Mother (Isabel Arenas), with second-grader Evan Hannon and third-grader Nate St. Onge sharing the role of little brother Randy.
There’s also the teacher (Annabelle Woodard); the bully, Scut Farkus (Cole Joyner); the kid who gets his tongue stuck on an icy pole on a dare (Knox Gaines); and Santa Claus (local teacher Mike Peck). In OYP tradition, there’s a big cast and big numbers, so here’s a good chance to check out what dancing and singing can add to the story of a boy who wants one thing for Christmas and his parents who don’t want him to shoot his eye out with it.
A Christmas Story, the Musical by Joseph Robinette, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, based on the writings of Jean Shepherd, is presented by Oconee Youth Playhouse at the Oconee County Civic Center Jan. 13–14 and Jan. 20–21 at 7 p.m. with 3 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Jan. 15 and Jan. 22. Tickets are $14-$18, cash or check only and available in the lobby an hour before the performance.
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