FOX Live-action musical : A Christmas Story

[jo]

www.broadwayworld.com/article/FOX-Reveals-Air-Date-for-Live-Musical-Event-A-CHRISTMAS-STORY-Maya-Rudolph-to-Star-20170808

FOX Reveals Air Date for Live Musical Event A CHRISTMAS STORY; Maya Rudolph to Star
by BWW News Desk Aug. 8, 2017  


FOX's next live musical event, A CHRISTMAS STORY, will air Sunday, Dec. 17 (7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) LIVE on FOX. From Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, the three-hour live television event, inspired by the holiday classic feature "A Christmas Story" and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production "A Christmas Story: The Musical," will be executive-produced by award-winning film, television and theater producer Marc Platt ("Grease: Live," "La La Land"). The epic adaptation will be filmed at the historic Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

Emmy Award nominee Maya Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live," "Bridesmaids") will star as the mother of nine-year old "Ralphie Parker." Additional casting information to be announced soon.

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, recent Tony Award winners for the musical "Dear Evan Hansen," and lyricists of "La La Land's" Academy Award-winning song, "City of Stars," also scored "A Christmas Story: The Musical," and will compose several new songs for the LIVE television event, with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary ("Grease: Live") adapting the book.

"A Christmas Story: The Musical" was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score (Pasek and Paul) and Best Book of a Musical. The original Broadway production of "A Christmas Story: The Musical" opened Nov. 19, 2012. Based on the writings of Jean Shepherd, the book was written by Joseph Robinette, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

The musical was based on the motion picture "A Christmas Story," written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, and the novel "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash" by Jean Shepherd. The now-classic 1983 feature film, which became a sleeper hit, has since taken on a new life, along with growing critical acclaim, to become a perennial holiday favorite beloved by families and kids of all ages.


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Hey, it's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, our musical score composers for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN! This is their other Christmas treat in addition to GREATEST SHOWMAN.

We did get HAIRSPRAY Live Action last year here in Manila. Not sure if it was a live telecast or slightly-delayed replay. Maybe they will play it here at least before Christmas so it becomes part of our holidays here.

Who knows -- it is FOX and Pasek and Paul -- maybe they will play a trailer of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ( due to open a week later on December 25)


Jo

[jo]

More insights on the live-action musical A CHRISTMAS STORY --

deadline.com/2017/08/christmas-story-live-musical-fox-maya-rudolph-marc-platt-benj-pasek-justin-paul-tca-1202144705/

Fox’s ‘A Christmas Story’ Live Musical “A Gift To The World,” Marc Platt Boasts – TCA
by Lisa de Moraes

August 8, 2017 3:43pm



A Christmas Story is “its own genre,” EP Marc Platt told TV critics at TCA today, noting its un-Christmas-like lack of sentimentality.


“TV has the unique opportunity to take musicals, live events, so it has that feeling and excitement and spontaneity, but still has a camera between you and what you are watching,” said Platt, who produced last year’s Grease: Live for Fox. “I try to create a grammar that takes from cinema and the live world and put it in every scene.”

Two new songs have been written, on which composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — Tony nominees for Dear Evan Hansen and A Christmas Story: The Musical, and lyricists of La La Land’s Oscar-winning song, “City of Stars” — already are at work.  Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary (Grease: Live) are adapting the book.

The fact that the Broadway musical produced no built-in hits does not concern Platt, who forecasts big crowds who love the movie and will be experiencing the musical for the first time when it airs December 17.



This play not being so well known “is the fun and the challenge of it,” Platt said, calling it “a Christmas gift – that’s what it is, a gift to the world.”

And, he noted, the songwriters have matured as composers since the Broadway musical opened on Broadway.
“We wrote the show seven or eight years ago. You don’t often get the chance to open back up your show” and ask if there are moments they “could have made better,” Paul agreed. “That’s what we get to do,” he said, calling it “a great Christmas moment for us.”

The 1983 A Christmas Story movie was based on Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, and was set in the late ’30s/early ’40s.  The three-hour live holiday musical event will “take place in the period” but with contemporary book-ending, he said. Fox announced separately today that Emmy nominee Maya Rudolph will play the mom of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker. Other castings will be announced soon, Platt said.

When asked, Platt said there have been no conversations about cross-promoting the live special with the Turner networks, which have played the heck out of the original movie for years.

And yes, there will be a big “Shoot Your Eye Out” number with tap-dancing kids among the musical adaptations of the movie’s fantasy moments.

[jo]

[jo]

A Christmas Story by Pasek and Paul is airing on December 17. A week later, on December 25, the movie musical with the score composed also by Pasek and Paul will be released to the general public.

I hear there might be some publicity tie-ups for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN during the airing of A CHRISTMAS STORY


Perfect

[pascoeo91]

This is Christmas carol reminds me of my brother’s annual function. It was around Christmas and he sang this in his sweet voice. He was a baby that time. It was such a pleasant day. I still remember it at times. I have a special bond with him and therefore, I watch shows by Andy Yeatman with him every weekend.