WELCOME TO THE LAKE CITY PLAYHOUSE

In 1940 Hohman, Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants just one thing for Christmas: an official Red Ryder Carbine Action BB gun. Grown-up Ralphie narrates as his younger self drops hints and schemes to convince his parents, his teacher Miss Shields, and even a department-store Santa. Every one of them gives the same answer: “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Meanwhile, his father, the Old Man, battles the family furnace and proudly displays the “major award” he’s won, a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg, much to his wife’s embarrassment.

Along the way, Ralphie faces playground bullies, triple-dog-dares, a bar of soap for saying a forbidden word, and his own big daydreams of heroism. Christmas Day doesn’t go to plan: there’s a ricochet, a pack of neighborhood dogs eats the turkey, and the family ends up at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Still, it becomes the holiday Ralphie will never forget. With a score by Pasek and Paul, this heartfelt and hilarious musical celebrates family and imagination, and the imperfect moments that become our favorite memories.