A Christmas Story, The Musical launches national Broadway tour in Orange

Published 8:17 am Sunday, November 4, 2018

To The Leader

When the house lights go down and curtains open, audiences will watch several hundred hours of hard work fall into place. The Lutcher Theater was selected by Big League Productions Inc. to tech National Touring Broadway show, A Christmas Story, The Musical bringing 85 cast, crew and creatives to Southeast Texas for 12 days while they put the show together for the first time in one location and launch their tour.

Being selected as the facility for a teaching process as well as the site for premiering a show and launching the national tour is a prestigious honor in the performing arts industry. This is not the first tech experience for the Lutcher Theater; most recently, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Mamma Mia launched their National Broadway Tours from the Lutcher. In January 2019, Legally Blonde will tech and kick off their tour in Orange, Texas as well.

“Orange is a magical place to rehearse a Broadway musical. The southern hospitality is overwhelming and the pride the local staff has in contributing to the process and helping make it a success is second to none,” Dan Sher, Executive Producer and President of Big League Productions, Inc. said.

The cast, crew, and creatives will eat, sleep and shop in Southeast Texas during the 12 days they are in town creating an economic boost for local businesses.

Based on the family classic 1983 movie, A Christmas Story, Director Matt Lenz along with 84 others will bring the story to life on stage before the tour kicks off, performing at the Lutcher,Monday, November 19 and Tuesday, November 20, both at 7:30 p.m. Lenz has been with the National Tour since it hit the road in 2013.

Behind the scenes, everyone is working tirelessly to prepare for a flawless show. The cast finalizes their stage blocking, cues, and choreography while the creative team meticulously reviews the light and sound designs, wardrobes, wigs and makeup and the crew builds and repairs sets and props. An essential part of preparing for the tour is labeling and organizing everything to ensure a methodical and stress-free load-in and load-out for the rest of the tour.

“The quiet peace that one feels outside the Lutcher allows the mind to stay focused on the challenging task of opening a show,” Sher said.

A Christmas Story, The Musical is sponsored locally by Granger Chevrolet and Alphabet Soup.