The holiday season has officially started. Shopping lists are being made, menus are being prepped, traditions are being locked in on the calendar, and the Gilbert Theater is preparing for its annual Christmas production. Last year’s production sold-out shows and brought an aura of nostalgia so overwhelming that they had to do it again.
For the second year, the classic family tale of a boy and his journey to secure the most coveted gift on his list, a Red Ryder BB gun, is coming to the stage. Based on the classic 1983 Christmas film of the same name, and adapted for the stage by Philip Grecian, this funny and still relatable story set in 1940s America follows Ralphie, a young boy with big hopes to secure the BB gun of his dreams. But much to his dismay, all the adults he talks to, including a memorable department store Santa, consistently and loudly declare, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
A Christmas Story runs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 7. Tickets are available at the box office located at 116 Green Street or online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36002/production/1236835.
Choosing to do A Christmas Story again as the holiday season production was a no-brainer for Artistic Director Matt Lamb. After seeing such success last year, including guests dressed as their favorite movie character, packed shows, and the pure joy the show brought, there was no denying the love for this production.
“We had a lot of great compliments last year where audience members said that ‘it wasn't Christmas until I watched this movie, and now I get to see it live.’ And we did have a lot of patrons that left that said, ‘This is better than the film, because of the way they get to experience [it].’ We had audience members dressing up, and we had audience members who were literally moving their mouths to what the actors were saying,” Lamb said.
This year’s production will have all the favorites from last year but with some slight differences, with Lamb handing over the Director’s chair to industry veteran Malissa Borden. He will instead be taking on his first role since an accident sidelined his onstage presence. Ralphie is a ten-year-old local actor and rising star, Oliver Benander. Sydney Dukic, local thespian and teacher, will play opposite Lamb as Mother. The incredibly witty, eleven-year-old Renny Westmoreland will be playing the role of Ralphie’s younger, more whiny brother, Randy. Rounding out the cast is a Gilbert Theater newbie, Fritz Barnes, playing Ralph, the present, much older version of the story’s protagonist and narrator.
Although Barnes is fairly new to acting (just around 5-6 years), he’s excited to join the Gilbert family and bring such a beloved production to the stage.
“I am playing Ralph. I'm not playing the old man. I am the old man. There's nobody in the room who couldn't be my child or younger. I didn't get into acting until I was in my late 50s. I've been acting for five or six years now and am having a good time with it. This is my first show at the Gilbert, and I'm just really happy to be here,” he explained.
With such a beloved classic in their hands again, the cast and crew are working hard to repeat the magic and create some new, in this year’s production. Westmoreland is excited about his role, being that he’s a huge fan of the classic film.
“What made me really want to audition for this show is that it's like my favorite movie ever! I have a Red Ryder BB gun, and I was very, very excited to be put in that gigantic snowsuit and see that lamp sitting on that table over there. [And] to have my mom do it with. My mom [being in it] has just made me love it even more,” he said.
Lamb, whose performance will mark his grand and brief return to the stage, is equally excited about the show.
“I wanted to do something this season, and I thought, you know what, why not this one? As the season progresses, my job's going to get a lot crazier with all the projects we have coming and some new things that we are working on. And just being on the director's side of the table and knowing I wanted to work with Malissa, flip-flopped it this year, and it's been a lot of fun,” he said.
“I keep going back to this is my first full production back… There were things that I have gone back within, you know, I'm basically here around the clock, but I actually listened to Gene Shepard's old radio broadcasts while I'm at work. And I've discovered things that I thought I knew about this show or the movie that I didn't realize are spun differently. I've been learning a lot, and I deeply love what this show is, what it really is. And I think this is a great way to be able to do something. I'll be back to the other side of the table as soon as the show closes.”
Dukic, a longtime Gilbert Theater actor and the co-star of last year’s hit production, Stop Kiss, sees parallels between her character, Mother, and herself.
“Being cast as a mother, I see so much of her in my day-to-day job, when I'm working with my students. I see so much of the ‘let's go, let's go.’ [As] a mother, you're the heart of the family. Being a teacher, you're the heart of the classroom. It's been such an enjoyable experience being able to just recognize that, both in here and in the classroom. I'm really excited to be part of it,” she said.
The Gilbert Theater isn’t just bringing the nostalgia with this show. They are bringing food security to the Cumberland County community. For a second year, the theater will be partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to collect donations of nonperishable food items and toys.
Anyone interested in donating can do so at one of the shows, Friday through Sunday, or during office hours, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment only. There will also be a mailbox to drop off letters to Santa during the production.
The Gilbert Theater is a true Fayetteville gem and downtown staple. For more information about the upcoming season, visit https://www.gilberttheater.com/.

(Photo: The cast of A Christmas Story at The Gilbert are excited to bring the production back to the stage. Photo courtesy of Matt Lamb)