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| Scot Claus photo by Renee Ashlock |
highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)
Click here for more information on this production that runs through December 23rd.
"... delivers many of the classic, comical moments from the film, is receiving a solid production from Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre. To show how popular the film is, this production is already practically sold out for the entire run and extra performances have just been added....Director Rick Davis derives natural, comical performances from his cast and does a fairly good job of staging the play on the small Desert Stages Actor's Café space. ...Scot Claus is excellent as the older Ralph, who serves as the narrator of the play. Claus has an excellent line delivery that infuses the character with charm and nostalgia. His Ralph is a completely endearing and heartwarming man who, through his well thought out narration, we see clearly has a warm fondness for his past. Owen Brady is good as the younger version of the main character, Ralphie. ..As Ralphie's parents, Peter Cunniff and Wendy Claus deliver humorous, realistic and engaging performances of a lovable couple. ...A Christmas Story is a beloved Christmas comedy classic film, and the stage adaptation fortunately doesn't sanitize any of the PG-13 moments in the movie or the warmth of the love of the family at the center of the story. We all have experience in dealing with obstacles in order to survive the holiday season, and the humorous moments in the story and tightness of the family at the center of the play make it a touching and highly identifiable story. The Desert Stages production has a good cast and direction and makes for a poignant and funny tale that's full of nostalgia and humor. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"...As written in Phillip Grecian’s adaptation, the narration usually comes across more like a lengthy monolog. But in this production, that’s exactly what’s needed. Like Jean Shepherd’s radio work, Scott Claus, with his enthusiastic, animated delivery under Rick Davis’s guidance, creates a theatre of the mind. It’s this production’s greatest strength. Even if our suspension of disbelief can’t always be done when characters walk across the Parker’s living room without successfully suggesting they’re elsewhere, Claus conjures images of life and how it used to be with words. He’s not only the center of the play, he’s the single element that holds the whole production together...." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)
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