BECCA MARTIN-BROWN
bmartin@nwaonline.com
“I mean, they’ve been running annual marathons of the movie longer than any of the kids in this production have been alive,” Andria Lickfelt said with a laugh. “‘A Christmas Story’ is definitely a holiday classic!”
It’s also a comedy that’s perfectly at home with Arkansas Public Theatre. In a normal season, the company would be performing at the Victory Theater, just down the street from the Daisy Airgun Museum at the corner of West Walnut and Second streets in Rogers. And the whole premise of the play is that Ralphie Parker, more than anything else, wants Santa to bring him a Daisy-made “carbine-action, 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.”
This year, “A Christmas Story” will be staged at The Medium in Springdale, and it will be the last show for a while for APT. The community theater troupe is waiting to return to its home at the Victory Theater after tornado damage closed it down on Memorial Day weekend.
“Times are tough right now, following the May tornadoes that took our home theater away from us,” said Matt Etris, who is directing the show for APT. “The news of us shutting down following this production, until we are back in the Victory Theater, was a hard blow to us all, but I can’t imagine a better show than ‘A Christmas Story’ to finish on.
“We all hope the city will be able to repair the theater in a timely minor, so we can bring live theater back to downtown Rogers,” Etris added. “But regardless, as long as we continue to have support from our community, Arkansas Public Theatre will return for a 40th season.”
Meanwhile, he said, “once I heard the cast at the first table read, I knew this show was going to be amazing.”
“I have not been in or a part of ‘A Christmas Story before,’” said Scott Harrison, who as the adult version of Ralphie narrates the story. “The film is so iconic and funny, I knew I had to audition for it. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of one of the most classic Christmas stories of all time?”
The play was inspired by the 1983 movie and is based on stories by author Jean Shepherd.
“People of a certain generation grew up on this film,” said Harrison. “Now, they’ve gotten older and have introduced it to their kids, who have grown up on it, and the cycle continues. Even though the [story] takes place in the 1940s, there’s something in there that everyone — both kids and adults — can relate to, no matter what their age. It’s also hilarious and heartwarming, and all those things together make it timeless.”
This is Lickfelt’s 16th show at APT and the first time she’s repeated a role — Ralphie’s mother.
“After doing it in 2017, I definitely wanted to audition again in 2020 — back then, ‘A Christmas Story’ was on a three-year rotation — but we all know how 2020 turned out,” she said. “I was excited to finally see it back in place this season and came back out to auditions. Dennis [Laing as the Old Man] and I fell right back into character.”
Laing promises the veterans are joined by “a hilarious collection of kids that will make this show memorable!”
It’s Sawyer Sims’ stage debut as young Ralphie.
“I wanted to be in this show because growing up, every year we watch it, and during it I was always fantasizing about being on the screen,” Sims said. “I knew this show would be great the second I held my BB gun for the first time.”
Sullivan Webber is also debuting on the APT stage as Randy, Ralphie’s little brother.
“I wanted to know what the experience felt like ‘cause my mom [Rissa Webber] did shows before and liked it,” he said. “Maybe I’ll do more shows. Depends on how this one goes.”
“It’s a family classic, pure and simple,” concluded Etris. “I love this show.”
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FAQ
Arkansas Public Theatre:
‘A Christmas Story’
WHEN — 8 p.m. Dec. 20; 2 & 8 p.m. Dec. 21; 2 p.m. Dec. 22
WHERE — The Medium, 214 S. Main St. in Springdale
COST — $25 & up
INFO — arkansaspublictheatre.org/tickets
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FYI
APT’s Hiatus
Read more about APT’s hiatus at https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2024/nov/19/arkansas-public-theatre-to-go-on-hiatus-after-a/
