Jean Shepherd’s nostalgic memoir of growing up in Hohman, Indiana in 1938 receives a heart-warming interpretation by the Newtowne Players at the Three Notch Theatre in Lexington Park this month, running through December 16.

The play is written by Phillip Grecian; story written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark.

Director Stacey Mulrooney – who has directed many previous student productions with The Newtowne Players – has a definite flair for working with children, and that talent glows in this production. The children are, in fact, the stars of the show.

One of the hallmarks of an NTP presentation – in addition to the camaraderie among the cast – is the standout set design.  A Christmas Story is no exception. The set design for the house on Cleveland Street is beautiful and the execution is meticulous in its attention to detail. The kitchen boasts a screen door to the outside plus a door to the troublesome furnace which frequently smokes in its place in the basement; the inviting living room is complete with a floor-model radio console, a comfortable-looking sofa, a curtained picture window and a door which opens to the outside. Ralphie’s bedroom is graces the upper level.

The intricate additional sets slide seamlessly on- and offstage on casters, as needed. Outstanding set pieces are the schoolroom, the family car (kudos to Thom Esposito, its builder) and the sliding board at Goldblatt’s Department Store in Act II. Excellent lighting effects are used to indicate Ralphie’s daydream fantasies throughout and a strobe light is used for flashbacks.

NTP veteran actor Jeremy Leissner serves as the adult Ralphie who affectionately recalls moments from his childhood – especially the particular Christmas when he longed for Santa to bring him a Red Ryder air rifle. His parents – as well as his teacher and his friends – think he’d shoot his eye out with it, but this does not dissuade him in his pursuit of this once-in-a-lifetime gift.

The child stars include Bradley Oosterink (in his second NTP show) as young Ralphie, Jonah Bell (in his NTP debut) as Raphie’s younger brother Randy, Chad Leo (also making his NTP debut) with a winsome delivery as Schwartz, Brandon Munn (in his stage debut) as Flick, Brandon Maher (in his first production with NTP) as the bully, Skut, Acacia Morton (in her first appearance on the Three Notch stage) as Helen, and Chloe Harsha (making her first appearance on the Three Notch stage) as Esther Jane. All are to be commended for the maturity and discipline required for bringing their respective roles to life. The conversational repartee between the little brothers Raphie and Randy is entirely believable. Each actor firmly establishes his or her own unique personality right from the start and maintains this characterization consistently to the play’s end. Listen for Esther Jane’s thoughtful reply when asked whether she&rsquo