A Christmas Story, The Musical
Book by Joseph Robinette. Music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Based on the motion picture A Christmas Story distributed by Warner Bros., written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, and upon In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash written by Jean Shepherd. Produced with permission of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Dalfie Entertainment.
Product Code: CD2000
Musical
Comedy
Cast size: 15m., 10w. May expand to 20+m., 15+w.
Awards: The Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award | Tony Award (nominee)
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
Please note this title may be restricted in your area and may require additional processing time.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
This musical, which received rave reviews on its Broadway run, is based on the movie classic that runs round-the-clock on television every Christmas. Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, the musical follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts—an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Rebuffed at every turn with a similar echoing response, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his desperate desire for the coveted BB gun. All the iconic scenes from the movie are here: Ralphie's friend, Flick, getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole; his brother, Randy, getting dressed in his snowsuit; the bullies, Farkus and Dill; the leg lamp award; the bunny suit; Christmas dinner; and many others. The delightfully versatile score ranges from gentle ballads to show-stopping full-ensemble numbers such as "Ralphie to the Rescue!", "A Major Award," "Sticky Situation," "Up on Santa's Lap," "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" and the inevitable "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!" A Christmas Story, The Musical will bring an exciting new dimension to those who have seen the movie and will certainly stand on its own for those who haven't.
Notes
This title is highly restricted. Rights may not be readily available in your area. Please allow additional processing time.
It has come to our attention that some issues exist within the scores for A Christmas Story, the Musical. In particular, please note that in song #7, “What a Mother Does,” measures 141-144 are missing within the Full Score and individual orchestral parts; however, they are notated correctly within the Piano/Vocal and Vocal parts. To address this issue and/or any other discrepancies, we suggest you compare the Full Score with the Piano/Vocal as you tailor the music for your production.Due to the complexity of the music for this title, we do not currently have a time frame for making the necessary corrections. We apologize for the inconvenience.
CHINESE RESTAURANT: To cut the scene from the Chinese restaurant, follow these instructions starting at the top of page 127:
THE OLD MAN. All right … Let’s get our coats. We are going out to eat.
(Lights dim. Underscore #19: “A Christmas Story.”)
[Cut to bottom of page 128.]
(As lights come up to half.)
JEAN. That Christmas would live in our memories as the Christmas when we were introduced to a Christmas duck.
(#19: “A Christmas Story”)
(Lights up full on THE PARKERS as they consider the craziness of this particular holiday season.)
[Cut to:]
THE OLD MAN & MOTHER. IT’S A BIG SUCCESS
[Cut to the top of page 130. Continue the song, cutting directions that mention eating, as THE PARKERS move toward home.]
NOW AVAILABLE!
Rehearsal and Performance Tools
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Director's Script and Logo Pack
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Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Musical
- Product Code CD2000
- Minimum Cast Size 25
- Pages of Dialogue 117
- Min. Royalty Rate $135.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 120 min
- Staging Area staging.
Categories
- Target Audience Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults
- Performing Group Community Theatre | Professional Theatre
- Genre Comedy
- ISBN(13) 9781583424087
Customer Reviews
A Christmas Story, The Musical is the perfect holiday show, with nostalgia, great songs, humor, and poignancy. Our audiences loved it, and we even added a performance, it sold so well!
The show was great, actually easier to produce than I thought it would be. The audiences loved it, and the cast members did as well.
This is the second time we have produced this show and both productions were amazing! It is a holiday treat for audiences as well as for the performers!
We absolutely loved putting up this re-imagined classic. The music is so fun and allowed us to showcase our youth of all ages. Our only concern with this title is the Chinese Restaurant scene and the heightened sensitivity to cultural stereotypes.
We enjoyed this production so much - very moving and entertaining - and the audience loved it too!
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
In a small space with limited wing space, we utilized an upstage elevated platform that we could hide furniture underneath. the platform served as the boys bedroom and Santa's mountain. we even added a slide to the platform!
Media Reviews
"A true gift! A sparkling adaptation with a surefire charmer of a score." -New York magazine"I was dazzled." -The New York Times
"Joyous! … A musical that dares mess with one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time and yet manages not only to do the film justice, but top it. … It’s a charming triumph of imagination." -Associated Press
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aronoff Center for the Arts | Cincinnati | OH | 11/14/2025 | 11/22/2025 |
| CenterPoint Legacy Theatre | Centerville | UT | 11/12/2025 | 12/13/2025 |
| St. George Opera House | St. George | UT | 11/13/2025 | 12/20/2025 |
| SDMT Stage | San Diego | CA | 11/28/2025 | 12/28/2025 |
| Walnut Street Theatre | Philadelphia | PA | 11/18/2025 | 01/04/2026 |
Audio/Video
Audio
| Overture | mp3 | Download | |
| Counting Down to Christmas | mp3 | Download | |
| Red Ryder | mp3 | Download | |
| The Genius on Cleveland Street | mp3 | Download | |
| When You're a Wimp | mp3 | Download | |
| Ralphie to the Rescue | mp3 | Download | |
| What a Mother Does | mp3 | Download | |
| Sticky Situation | mp3 | Download | |
| A Major Award | mp3 | Download | |
| Just Like That | mp3 | Download | |
| Up On Santa's Lap | mp3 | Download | |
| Before the Old Man Comes Home | mp3 | Download | |
| Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana | mp3 | Download | |
| A Christmas Story | mp3 | Download |
Video
Gallery
A Christmas Story, The Musical - Stansbury High School, Stansbury Park, UT
A Christmas Story, The Musical - Theatre Alliance, Wintson-Salem, NC
Also By These Authors
Patricia A. Frank, ALHS Drama Club, Avon Lake, Ohio