Classic quotes

“When you’re a kid, all you want is the perfect Christmas gift.”

“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”

These popular phrases from “A Christmas Story” characters will be acted out on the stage in Portland tonight and for the next two weeks.

Jay County Civic Theatre opens at 7 p.m. tonight with its production of “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” at Jay County Campus of Arts Place. Other showings are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Dec. 15, 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 2 p.m. Dec. 17.

Based on the classic 1983 movie directed by Bob Clark, it follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker — he’s portrayed by Cam LeFevre — during the holiday season in which he attempted to convince his parents to get him a specific BB gun for Christmas. Narrated by adult Ralph Parker, played by Jason McGraw, the stage version has various elements from the original film, including the “Red Ryder BB gun” and the infamous leg lamp.

Director Jennifer McGraw said she has wanted Jay County Civic Theatre to perform “A Christmas Story” on stage for a long time. The musical version, she added, seemed to be something the local audience would enjoy.

“It’s a popular movie, of course at Christmastime, so we figured it would be a good draw for people to want to come see it as well,” she said.

Jennifer McGraw noted the cast comes from all over, with cast members like Julie Crandall from Decatur and Reid Knuth from Fort Recovery, along with others from Coldwater, Ohio, St. Henry, Ohio, Portland, Dunkirk and Redkey.

“I just think it’s great that we have so many people from not just Jay County, but surrounding areas that have started to come and become a part of the family,” she said.

Cam LeFevre — he performed in civic theatre’s recent productions of “Frosty the Snowman,” “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Descendants: The Musical” — stars as Ralphie.

“He’s a very mischievous kid,” said LeFevre, noting his character grows to be more mature throughout the show.

Julie Crandall performed as Maria in Jay County Civic Theatre’s production of “The Sound of Music.” She’s returning to the stage for the first time in 15 years, this time as Ralphie’s mother. 

“I’m Mother, basically I’m the glue that’s keeping this family together,” she said.

As a mother of three in real life, she added, the role comes naturally. Her son, Amos Crandall, is also joining the show’s ensemble. She noted it’s been a great bonding experience for them to perform together for the last few months.

Putting together the set — it includes a detailed representation of the Parkers’ home with two different levels — has been one of the more time-consuming aspects of this production, noted Jennifer McGraw. As she spoke during an interview, her husband, Jason McGraw, pulled out a large piece of foam for the set.

“When I showed (Jason) my original design, he looked at me like I had three heads,” Jennifer McGraw said, laughing. “I know he’s put in over 100 hours on the set.”

The music itself has also been a challenge. Reid Knuth, who’s serving as music director and in the role of Ralphie’s father, noted this musical has some difficult styles and combinations compared to some of civic theatre’s more recent productions.

“I think this is the hardest music we’ve done since probably ‘Newsies’ in 2019,” he said. “There’s lots of parts. The styles are all over the place. There’s like nine-part harmonies that make it really tough, but they’ve done a good job with it.” 

After months of preparation, the cast will take the stage tonight. Jennifer McGraw said she’s looking forward to everything coming together.

“The cast, they’ve worked very hard, and they could go on tonight with a crowd and I would be proud of them, even without having everything finished,” she said during an interview Tuesday evening. “There’s a lot of little things left to do, but I just feel like we’re in such a good spot. I’m excited to just see it all come together, and I can’t wait to see how the crowd responds …”

Crandall said she had never been a huge fan of the movie, but she loves the musical version. She expects the audience will feel the same way.

“I feel like it fleshes out the characters a little bit more, and there’s just a lot of fun in the songs,” she said. “It keeps the storyline moving with a little bit more interest. People that know and love the movie, it’ll add something, but also if you don’t know the movie, you could show up and still love it.”