Photo by Carol Rosegg.

An ever-growing subgenre has emerged within the movie adaptation umbrella constantly covering Broadway: the holiday movie adaptation. In addition to Elf and White Christmas, both making return engagements this season, A Christmas Story, The Musical, the earnest adaptation of the cult film that grew into a yuletide tradition, has arrived for a limited engagement at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Joseph Robinette has drawn the show’s book from Leigh Brown, Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd’s script for the 1983 film, itself lifted from Shepherd’s anthology “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash,” and kept nearly all the film’s beloved vignettes intact (the only thing excised appears to be an Ovaltine-related sequence). He has also, with the sturdy help of director John Rando and music writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, maintained Shepherd’s sweet sense of nostalgia and innocence. It convincingly evokes a time when bullies still fought with their hands and the Red Ryder BB gun nine-year-old Ralphie (an able Johnny Rabe, alternating in the role with Joe West) could be seen only as a danger to himself (you hear the refrain “You’ll shoot your eye out” many a time) rather than a menace to society. It’s a time when the authority of teachers still went un-impugned by both students and their parents, and when love was enough to keep the home fires burning, even in a Depression-era Indiana small town.

That love is supplied in ample doses by Ralphie’s Mother (Erin Dilly, wonderful) and father, The Old Man, (John Bolton, humorously turning what was more of a curmudgeon in the film into a dexterously manic onstage creation), as well as by Ralphie’s button-cute kid brother, Randy (Zac Ballard). As played by a charming Dan Lauria – himself the paterfamilias of TV’s The Wonder Years, which knew a thing or two about narration and nostalgia – Shepherd narrates the events of the month leading up to Ralphie’s favorite holiday, Christmas, which include contending with the school bully, a visit to see a department store Santa Claus, the arrival of a curious novelty lamp, The Old Man’s colorful vernacular, his contention with a couple of neighborhood dogs, and the misguided dare of one of Ralphie’s friends to stick his tongue to a frozen pole, in addition to his quest to find that prized gun underneath the Christmas tree.

Robinette transfers all of these events from the movie, and the results fare better than most works that try to mimeograph the events of one genre onto enough (see: the musical version Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). The narrative flow is sometimes a bit forced but never clunky, and its episodic structure is fitting, given that it derives from the mind of a young child. It also gives Robinette and the team of Pasek and Paul the opportunity to expand Ralphie’s daydreams, Pennies From Heaven-style, into some elaborate and unexpected musical numbers. This includes a Western-themed “Ralphie to the Rescue” and “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out.” The latter takes place, perhaps improbably, in a speakeasy (with the children in the cast dressed as adults and doing most of the dancing, “Bugsy Malone”-style), yet it shows off both Caroline O’Connor, as Ralphie’s teacher, Miss Shields, and wunderkind youngster Luke Spring in an exciting dance number. Throughout the show, choreographer Warren Carlyle devises thoughtful dance numbers that boasts the skills of his young cast without over-challenging them, and Rando makes the task of working with kid actors look like child’s play.

Pasek and Paul, who just recently proved in the Second Stage Theatre production of Dogfight a perceptive ability to thread music with narrative, setting and emotion, have crafted an enjoyable and appropriate pastiche score, although none really linger in the mind after the applause has wound down. Still, Dilly tackles her two numbers, “What a Mother Does” and the Big-recalling “Just Like That,” with such warmth and clarion delivery, one would be fool not to wish for everyone to have a mother like her. Bolton is a comic delight, mastering a plethora of physical demands in his role. Even Lauria goes the extra mile, fills his merely perfunctory role with real pathos. Christmas doesn’t aim to raise the bar, but it’s a charming callback to the comforts of both family and the traditional book musical.

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Lunt-Fontanne Theater, 205 West 46th Street, www.achristmasstorythemusical.com. Through Dec. 30.

By Angela Barbuti

When Michael Bacon isn’t rollerblading in Riverside Park, he can be found in his studio on West End Avenue making music with his brother Kevin. Their band, The Bacon Brothers, is playing a show at City Winery April 25 and 26. Besides playing music, Michael Bacon writes the scores for documentaries, including an upcoming HBO project on Richard Nixon. He also wrote the music for the feature film Downtown Express, which is coming to New York in mid-April.

You grew up in Philadelphia?

My parents were urban pioneer types. They wanted to raise their kids in the city rather than the suburbs, which most people didn’t really approve of. My dad’s family has a long historical connection to Philly. We actually grew up right in the middle of the city. My mother is from New York City.

When did you know you wanted to be a musician?

I didn’t think, until I went to college, that it was possible—it wasn’t a profession most people went into. Then the late ’60s came and the philosophy was “do your own thing.” I just said, “This is what I like to do, so I’m going to try it.”

Which musicians inspire you?

It’s hard to answer that question because I’m not just a rock ‘n’ roll musician; I’m also classically trained and I love folk music. My favorite musicians might not even be rock bands. I was brought up with The Beatles and The Stones, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger—but also Stravinsky and Bach. We had a very eclectic upbringing. My parents just loved the arts and they loved music. They never played, but they certainly encouraged any kind of creative expression in the kids.

How did you start working with Kevin?

He played percussion in my band when he was about 14. I was out of college by then and in a group that played around Philadelphia. That group broke up and I was playing by myself with a backup band, and he was in that band. My brother and I used to write a lot together, but since Kevin’s skill level has gone up, he doesn’t really need me. He has his own studio. But the band is a good excuse for us to hang out. We spend a lot more time together than if we didn’t have the band; we’re busy and we have families.

Who are the other members of The Bacon Brothers and how did you find them?

When I first came to New York in the early ’80s and started to score films, I met a group of musicians who did sessions for me. They worked for the folk singer Tom Rush. When I opened for Rush in Philly, I saw them perform and was impressed with the way they backed up an acoustic singer. When Kevin and I decided to put the band together, I immediately thought of them.

What is your educational background?

I never took formal music classes until 13 years ago—I just had lessons and studied privately. Around ’92, I went back to Lehman College in the Bronx. One of the teachers there is John Corigliano, an amazing Academy Award-winning composer. I really went there to study with him and got my degree finally after all those years.

What projects are you involved with currently?

I’m writing the music for an HBO program about Richard Nixon called Nixon: In His Own Words. It’s extremely challenging. They only have interviews, so the music becomes very important in telling the story. It’s all put together with pre-existing footage. They release a certain amount of Nixon tapes every once in a while and there was a just a new batch let out. This is the third one I’ve done. The first one was Teddy Kennedy, then Gloria Steinem. I also have a feature film that I was composer and music director for which is coming to New York City on April 20 called Downtown Express; it tells the love story of a concert violinist at Juilliard and a street musician.

You work with your wife and your brother. What is the key to successfully working with family?

Whatever negatives are outweighed by trust. My brother and I have a business together and my wife is a partner in it as well. You begin with a level of trust and you’re at a much better starting point. My wife Betsy and I have worked together for 18 years. She does all the day-to-day management of the film scoring and the band, and is also the prime critic of my work. When I’m in a jam, I rely on her ears.

When did you know Kevin was going to be

By Mark Peikert

What a difference a few months and two new cast members make. When I saw Trevor Nunn’s production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s A Little Night Music last December, I was blown away by both Catherine Zeta-Jones—who ended up winning a Tony Award for her performance as actress Desirée Armfeldt—and Alexander Hanson, as her married former lover Fredrik. The rest of this elegiac musical about lust and love, set in turn-of-the-last-century Sweden, felt serviceable at best, and egregious at worst. Having just seen the show with Bernadette Peters stepping in for Zeta-Jones and Elaine Stritch replacing Angela Lansbury, I still maintain that the revival is less than sparkling, but for different reasons.

Alexander Hanson (left), Bernadette Peters and Aaron Lazar in A Little Night Music at the Walter Kerr Theater.

Take Ramona Mallory, for instance. The actress plays Fredrik’s virginal, much-younger wife, and when I saw the show last year I wrote that her giggly delivery “is rather like watching Taylor Swift take the Broadway stage.” Now, her performance has either been freed from the shadow of Zeta-Jones or blossomed into something fuller, because Mallory is consistently one of the evening’s bright spots.

Everyone else remains more or less the same (Leigh Ann Larkin is still excruciating as Anne’s maid Petra, uncertain of whether she should play the character with a Midwestern or Cockney accent), but the flaws in Nunn’s production are highlighted the second time around. The monochromatic set and glacial pace leave one impatient; this is, after all, a show about a famous actress, so why are the costumes all in white, black and shades of gray? And despite Desirée’s repeated references to the “farce” of a weekend in the country with her lover (Aaron Lazar), his wife (Erin Davie), Fredrik and Anne, Nunn has directed the show as if it were a languid Noel Coward comedy.

As for Peters, she’s a much-missed theatrical icon who gives an assured, sometimes very funny performance, but just as often slips into self-parody, drawling her lines in an over-the-top Bernadette Peters impression. Erasing memories of Zeta-Jones’ misguided, hammy rendition of “Send in the Clowns,” Peters looks both fabulous and relaxed, which must come as a relief to her after her last Broadway stage appearance as Mama Rose in Gypsy seven years ago.

Which leaves us with Stritch, who turns the role of Desirée’s aged former courtesan mother inside out. Gone is Lansbury’s doddering, imperious interpretation, replaced instead with Stritch’s innate good, common sense. Stritch eschews all semblance of calculating charisma, making Madame Armfeldt into a woman who seems relieved to have abandoned the pretence of kindness and flattery. Instead, she’s sharp, aggressive and angry, her company manners planed away by the years. Speak-singing the song “Liaisons,” Stritch nails the comedy and the bitter regret at the way things have turned out, both for the world and for herself. By turns wistful, giddy and furious, the song becomes a tour de force of personality over the ravages of time, a testament to the survival skills of both the character and the actress. Sure, Stritch is giving us a modified version of herself, but isn’t that what becomes a legend the most?
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Open run, Walter Kerr Theater, 219 W. 48th St., 212-239-6200; $52–$137.

Compiled by Alice Robb

Friday, July 9

Magic Musical—TADA! Youth Theater presents The Magic Pot: Three Tales from China, an original musical for kids, performed by kids, about a young girl who finds herself in the middle of ancient tales. TADA! Theater, 15 W. 28th St., 2nd floor, 212-252-1619 x5; 7 p.m., $6-$25.

Pictures from the Past—The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts presents Lincoln Center Festival in Pictures, a retrospective photography exhibition highlighting the Festival’s artists and productions over the past 14 years. The gallery portrays some of the great artists who have participated in the Festival over the years, including Liam Neeson, Harold Pinter, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ornette Coleman and Merce Cunningham. Plaza corridor gallery of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Plaza, 212-870-1630; 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Free.

Zombies—The Museum of Arts and Design continues its Italian zombie film series with a screening of Zombie 2 (1979), directed by Lucio Fulci. While investigating an unmanned yacht drifting into the New York City harbor, two patrolmen are attacked by a member of the living dead. The film series is presented in conjunction with special exhibition Dead or Alive, which explores how contemporary artists incorporate once-living materials in their work. Wear zombie makeup for a discounted ticket. MAD Theater, 2 Columbus Circle, 212-299-7740; 7 p.m., $7-$10.

Saturday, July 10

Operatic—The emerging artists of the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Prelude to Performance program present a fully staged and costumed production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., 212-772-4448; 7:30 p.m., $20-$90.

Civil War History—A walking tour marks the 147th anniversary of the infamous New York Draft Riots. Learn through first-person accounts about the flourishing of Gramercy Park and personalities such as George Templeton Strong and Edwin Booth. The tour is led by New York City expert Maria Dering. Meet outside Church of the Transfiguration, 1 E. 29th St., 646-573-9509; 11 a.m., $15-$20.

Meet a Penguin—Interact with a live black-footed penguin at the Museum of Natural History’s Wild, Wild World Program. Jarod Miller, host of the television series Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller, discusses the habitats and surprising behaviors of these “extreme climate” animals. Linder Theater, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at West 79th Street, 212-769-5100; 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., $10-$12.

Sunday, July 11

International Festival—Tens of thousands flock each year to the NYC Celebration of Nations Festival, which features international food, art and merchandise, as well as entertainment. Madison Avenue from East 47th to East 57th Street, 212-809-4900; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Free.

Summergarden—The Museum of Modern Art’s Summergarden concert series returns to The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, with a performance of chamber music including the world premiere of Laurie Altman’s Ways of Looking: At Zurich (2008) and New York premieres of works by Reynold Tharp and Paul Desenne. MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St., 212-708-9400; 8 p.m., Free.

Groovy Tunes—Families can hear the energetic pop-rock sound of Milkshake along with Curious George inspired tunes, in conjunction with The Jewish Museum’s exhibition Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey. The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave., 212-423-3337; 2 p.m., $11-$16.

Monday, July 12

Broadway from the Inside—The Town Hall continues its fourth annual Summer Broadway Festival with Broadway Winners: The Award-Winning Music of Broadway. The evening features music and dance coupled with witty insider tidbits, all performed by Broadway’s finest. The Town Hall, 143 W. 43rd St., 212-840-2824; 8 p.m., $40-$50.

Tuesday, July 13

East Meets West—The 2010 New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks series opens with a performance by musicians from New York and Shanghai. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Long Yu, and international star pianist Lang Lang share the stage with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Andrey Boreyko. The Great Lawn, 79th to 85th Streets in Central Park, 8 p.m., Free.

Czech Film—The Czech Center New York continues its free screenings of Czech films (with English subtitles) with a showing of the ironic comedy Ecce Homo Homolka (1969), directed by Jaroslav Papousek. Rooftop of the Czech Center, 321 E. 73rd St., 646-422-3399; dusk (around 8:30 p.m.), Free.

Wednesday, July 14

Picnic with a Soundtrack—The MTA Arts for Transit’s Music Under New York program continues its summer concert series, which brings members of New York’s diverse underground music scene to the lively oasis of Broadway and 66th Street. Music lovers are invited to bring lunch, join friends and relax at a performance featuring Tunisian percussionist Najib Bahri, one man band Peter Joseph Paul and gypsy funk group SisterMonk. Richard Tucker Park, Broadway and 66th Street, 212-878-7250; 12 p.m., Free.