“Counting Down To Christmas”
Early Rehearsals for A Christmas Story, The Musical
As observed by Kevin Lane Dearinger for The Lexington Theatre Company
The holidays can be a complex time for adults. The flesh might be willing, but with the accumulation of years, the spirit can feel weak. Or just grumpy. A crowded store, a jammed parking lot, or a caroling neighbor bellowing offkey might bring out streaks of Scrooge or traces of the Grinch.
But kids—yes, kids— have the power to banish such seasonal irritations. The holidays would survive without mistletoe, holly, or even Mariah Carey, but not without kids.
They hold the secret, and, indeed, they are the secret of the holidays. For them, every moment is a fresh start. With boundless optimism, excitement, and good will, their youthful light brightens the winter darkness.
As The Lexington Theatre Company approaches its tenth season, it can boast a record of evergreen ambition and ever-growing achievement. In its first years, the company produced—beautifully—one musical per summer. Five years ago, they expanded to two shows per season, and then, last year, they offered their first holiday production, a glistening White Christmas.
If you were in the Lexington Opera House when that snow began to fall and failed to feel the old joy of childhood, then the Grinch may be lurking on your rooftop.
This year’s holiday offering is a heart-melting musical adaptation of the classic holiday film A Christmas Story.
That’s the one with the leg lamp and the sticky spot on an icy pole. The one with “The Old Man” and the “Triple Dog Dare.” The one that you might find running 24/7 on cable between Halloween and what feels like Presidents’ Day. But it is a story that is richly rewarding with each revisit.
The Company of A Christmas Story on the first day of rehearsal
A Christmas Story, the Musical, is moving and hilarious, steeped in nostalgia,family wrangling, and family love. For any generation, it recreates a time in our lives that may seem to have slipped away, but which, in fact, has given us a lifetime of soul-deep memories.
How does the musical manage such warm and lovely magic?
Kids.
Lots and lots of kids.
A Christmas Story has juicy “grown-up” roles, but at its core, it’s about the kids. A stage full of extraordinary young talent, just in time to lift us into the holidays.
The Lex keeps its education and training mission close to its artistic heart, with a full range of classes for young Kentucky performers who want to work on a professional level. So, the kids in A Christmas Story, whatever their age or experience, are mighty little pros.
Since just after Labor Day, they have gathered together on Saturdays to get a head-start on their complex harmony parts and dance moves. And their acting. The Lex never forgets that every singer and dancer is also an actor. Our hero Ralphie (Henry Walter) is there, concentrated and centered, along with the best little brother in the world, Randy (Luke Krohmer), as well as Flick, Schwartz, Grover Dill, and the fearsome Farkus. And a lively classroom full of strong personalities. Each performer knows who they are in small-town Indiana of 1940.
Director-Choreographer Lyndy Franklin Smith, Musical Director Dr. Brock Terry, and their support staff consistently model professional discipline and sterling precision, but they teach and guide with a tender respect for the talent of their cast.
And they know what every theatre person knows:
Never underestimate a child actor.
Youth Performing Apprentices in rehearsals for A Christmas Story
An old actor once said, “A star, a real star, not only knows his or her lines but knows everyone else’s.”
If this is true, then most child performers are stars in the making. Their quick minds take in everything, often including every line and lyric in a show. They are observant, focused, and flexible enough to make the thousand-and-one adjustments that are part of every rehearsal process.
They watch. They listen. They learn.
They also sound great. The intricate score for A Christmas Story has its challenges—enough sharps and flats to unsettle the New York Philharmonic—, but the tunes are catchy and period perfect. The clever lyrics ride on lovely open vowels, encouraging the ringing clarity of young voices (Remember those earworms in Annie? “Daaaay uhhhhhh-waaaaaa...”)
It’s thrilling to hear.
It’s what makes live musical theatre a glorious experience.
Without losing their individual charm, the Christmas Story kids work to present a united ensemble. Together they create an excitement that is like hearing the clip-clop of reindeer on a snow-laced roof.
From the start, however, they have reminded themselves that the “adult” company, the Broadway actors and the gifted young professionals of the ensemble, would be joining them when fulltime rehearsals began. Their aim has been a seamless merging of the multi-generational talents.
And that day arrives.
The more experienced actors (i.e., older.) meet the young performers. No one is afraid or unsure. This was the plan all along. These little pros are ready to go.
The Company of A Christmas Story rehearsing "Ralphie to the Rescue"
If you doubt that, watch their proud faces.
Or better yet, watch the faces of the adult actors. Not a Scrooge to be scrounged.
The adults are impressed. Excited.
And suddenly, amazingly, well, kid-like!
Remembering the winter holidays of their own childhoods:
Santa at the end of the Macy’s parade.
Magical shop windows.
Beloved grandparents standing by the light of their Menorah.
Finding just-the-right Christmas tree.
Riding around to see the neighbors’ lights.
Bright wrapping paper and red ribbon.
A favorite ornament making its annual appearance.
The aroma of freshly baked cookies.
Waiting to go downstairs on Christmas morning.
The perfect present you didn’t even expect.
Knowing your mom loved the gift you took so long to pick out.
Checking the overstuffed stocking.
A third helping of Christmas dinner.
And that deliciously sleepy feeling after a third dessert.
The joyful communal feast called Karamu.
Waiting to hear the midnight bells on New Year’s Eve.
From their first day together, the adult actors and the kid actors for A Christmas Story start to merge into a single company, brought together by talent, professionalism, and the creation of new memories.
They are a family.
Just in time for the holidays.
The Lexington Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Story plays the Lexington Opera House for six performances, November 21-24.
Kevin Lane Dearinger is a retired actor, singer, and teacher. His published works include four theatre histories, six volumes of poetry, six plays, and two memoirs, Bad Sex in Kentucky and On Stage with Bette Davis: Inside the Fabulous Flop of Miss Moffat. For many years, he sang out to the back row, acted from his heart, and danced, as one tactful critic put it, “with athletic grace.” In his soul, he still does all three. He counts among his blessings the privilege of sitting in on rehearsals with The Lexington Theatre Company. He is proud of his Actors Equity Pension.
