Entertainment

Grab Your Hot Cocoa Because 'A Christmas Story!' Live Is A Full-Length Production

by Ani Bundel

In case 24 hours of A Christmas Story on constant lop Christmas Day isn't going to be enough for you, for reasons we cannot quite explain, FOX has decided to do a live performance advert for the yearly TNT and TBS marathon in the form of A Christmas Story Live! But while the original is a solid one hour and 34 minutes, the musical may not be so conveniently timed. How long is A Christmas Story Live!?

A Christmas Story Live! is actually just a live, filmed performance of the Broadway show A Christmas Story: The Musical. So, while some of the stuff from the originally movie are edited down, the time lost is expanded tenfold with musical numbers to balance it out. Songs like "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun," which is sung by both young Ralphie and Matthew Broderick's older narrator version, and "The Parker Family Singalong," sung by Ralphie's family, will be highlights, as will the inevitable Act 2 number "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" (performed by Miss Shields and the Kids, naturally).

But with some of the original removed to make room for the songs, how long of a run time has FOX budgeted for the performance?

The answer is a full three hours, with the show starting at the slightly-earlier-than-prime-time hour of 7 p.m. ET on Sunday Dec. 17, and running through until 10 p.m. ET. This is actually in line with other "Live!" performances done on the broadcast networks, including the ones on NBC as well as FOX.

How does the musical differ from the movie, other than the musical numbers? Despite everything, it hews decently close to the original material. Though it is certainly not a word-for-word remake by any stretch, all the plot points are there, including the infamous leg lamp.

Here is the full list of musical numbers from the Broadway show:

Act 1

  • "Overture" - Orchestra
  • "It All Comes Down to Christmas" - Ralphie, The Parkers and Ensemble
  • "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun" - Ralphie and Jean
  • "It All Comes Down to Christmas (Reprise)" - Ralphie and Company
  • "The Genius on Cleveland Street" - The Old Man and Mother
  • "When You're a Wimp" - Kids
  • "Ralphie to the Rescue" - Ralphie, Miss Shields, The Parkers and Ensemble
  • "What a Mother Does" - Mother
  • "A Major Award" - The Old Man, Mother and Neighbors
  • "Parker Family Singalong" - The Parkers
  • "Act One Finale" - Ralphie and Ensemble

Act 2

  • "Entr' Act" - Orchestra
  • "Sticky Situation" - Kids, Miss Shields, Nurse, Flick's Mom, Fireman, Policeman and Doctor
  • "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" - Miss Shields and Kids
  • "Just Like That" - Mother
  • "At Higbee's" - Elves
  • "Up on Santa's Lap" - Santa, Elves, Ralphie, Randy and Kids
  • "Before the Old Man Comes Home" - The Parkers
  • "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" - Ralphie, Randy and Kids
  • "Ralphie to the Rescue (Reprise)" - Ralphie and Ensemble
  • "A Christmas Story" - The Parkers and Full Company

According to Deadline, FOX will be adding an extra song to the show as well, “Count on Christmas,” a new original number written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The duo is also the original team that created the musical for the stage.

But don't worry if this seems like a far cry from the film. Speaking to USA Today, executive producer Marc Platt assures us the spirit is what counts.

It is A Christmas Story through and through. The music just enhances it. It serves the humor and underlying warmth of the film.

A Christmas Story Live! airs on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2018 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX.