OFFBEAT: Producers of 'A Christmas Story' stage musical in region today for research

Get ready for what's shaping up to be a holiday stage hit.

In the past, there have been plenty of stagings of "A Christmas Story" licensed and performed as a stage play.

But now, after more than two years in the making, theater audiences are getting this favorite yuletide telling, but with the bonus of some clever and nicely constructed songs and beautifully choreographed musical numbers.

The 1983 film "A Christmas Story" is being brought to life with this new musical spin featuring all of the favorite characters and scenes courtesy of Madstone Productions and Patriot Productions.

I had the chance to preview three of the musical numbers and chat with the cast and production team during a special press preview event Tuesday in the basement rehearsal room of The Oriental Theatre in downtown Chicago.

And today, producers Jerry Goehring and Pat Addiss are paying a "first-time" visit to Northwest Indiana to check out some of the landmark landscapes that inspired the original story by Hammond claim-to-fame Jean Shepherd.

Among my suggestions to Goehring and Addiss for "must-sees" included stops at The Jean Shepherd Community Center and The South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority in Hammond, along with checking out the historic clock from the old Goldblatt's Department Store in Hammond that is now housed in the lobby of the Hammond Public Library. And for lunch, there's no better place than Teibel's, which has been around for more than 80 years and served up many a meal to Shepherd.

Also produced by Peter Billingsley, the film's original Ralphie, the stage adaptation, "A Christmas Story, the Musical!," began with auditions in Chicago over the summer, as well as the rehearsals, prior to the special five-city national tour that began in Hershey, Penn., at the Hershey Theatre on Nov. 8 to 13 and continues with a stop in Detroit from Nov. 15 to 27 at Fisher Theatre before heading to Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh, N.C., from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 and Straz Center in Tampa, Fla., from Dec. 6 to 11 prior to finishing with a run at the Chicago Theatre, 175 North State St., from Dec. 14 to 30.

Tickets for the Chicago dates range from $35-$79 (with premium tickets also available) at the Chicago Theatre box office or  thechicagotheatre.com or (800) 745-3000.

Tony Award-winning John Rando ("Urinetown" and "The Wedding Singer") is directing and Warren Carlyle is choreographer, along with dance arranger Glen Kelly ("The Book of Mormon" and "Scottsboro Boys").

It features a bright holiday score by composer/lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and book by Joseph Robinette, based on the writings of famed radio humorist Shepherd, who also provided the narration for the 1983 film.

This team of twentysomething-year-olds, Pasek and Paul, are stellar forces of talent and have just added the 2011 Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters to their ever-growing list of honors.

The 2006 University of Michigan grads gave me the scoop Tuesday about one of this musical's new songs, which they've titled "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" about Santa's Hoosier city night flight sightings on Christmas Eve.

"One of our best friends from college was from West Lafayette and she was a Indiana Junior Miss pageant winner, so we know all about the cities around the state," Pasek said. "This is our musical nod to everything Indiana."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or (219) 852-4327.