Dad, son star in Playhouse's 'Christmas Story'
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BY JEFF KORBELIK / Lincoln Journal Star
John Jack couldn’t think of a better way to mark his return to the stage than to do so with his son.
Jack, 42, will perform in his first production since 1988, when he was a theater major in college.
He’ll play The Old Man in the stage adaptation of the beloved holiday movie “A Christmas Story” at the Lincoln Community Playhouse.
The Lincoln Community Playhouse production of "A Christmas Story" is at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11-12, 18-19; and at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 6, 13 and 20; and at 2 p.m. Dec. 7, 14 and 21.
The Playhouse is at 2500 S. 56th St.
Tickets: $20; 489-7529 or www.lincolnplayhouse.com
The play, directed by Paul Pearson, begins a three-weekend run Friday night.
Portraying his son, Ralphie, the boy on a quest for a genuine Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, is Jack’s 10-year-old son Nash, who makes his Playhouse debut.
“I’m really excited,” Jack said. “Who doesn’t want to do something with their son?”
Nash feels the same way about his dad.
“I thought it was really cool,” he said. “It’s been really fun. We have a lot of fun together doing it every night.”
“A Christmas Story” is humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s.
The play, adapted for the stage by Philip Grecian, closely follows the movie, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
In it, Ralphie pleads his case for the BB gun before his parents, teacher, and even Santa Claus. But the response is always the same: “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
“The story is right there,” Pearson said. “Everything we like about it and remember about it is right there.”
Joining the Jacks are Jamie Dorn as Ralphie’s mother and Nathan Colling as brother Randy. Brent Smoyer plays adult Ralph, the story’s narrator.
Other cast members are Rachel Price, Rex McKeeman, Clayton Parker, Tabitha Rosenthal, Mikayla Tremain and Nels Holmquist.
Jack said his love for the movie is the reason he auditioned.
“It’s been 20 years, and I thought it’s about time I put my major to work and get some use out of it,” he said, joking.
He likes “A Christmas Story” because it’s so family-oriented.
“It’s a story about a family more than it’s a Christmas story,” he said. “The dad … he’s just a force of nature, and the mom, she’s an immovable object who comes up against this guy.”
But the real appeal to the role is the chance to work with Nash, who’s gained some acting experience through the Playhouse’s Theatre Arts Academy.
“Neither of us are athletically inclined,” Jack said. “ We don’t go outside and throw the football around. This gives us a chance to do something together for two to three hours a night. It’s a bonding thing for us.”
Dad, however, is a bit jealous of Nash’s memorization skills.
“He takes to lines like ducks take to water,” he said. “We’ll be studying at home, and he’s telling me what my lines are.”
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
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