The musical is based on the 1983 movie, A Christmas Story, which is itself based on a series of short stories published in the early 1960s by Jean Shepard. En route to the Arts Club Theatre Company, this story has been filtered through several layers of nostalgia, resulting in more than a few elements that feel oddly anachronistic.
The result is… weird. Although there can be power in using humour to defang taboo subjects, it seems a little unkind to gloss over serious public health issues with box steps and one-liners. Still, there’s a lot to recommend.
For those who are unfamiliar, Rabbi Loeub explained that Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath — a day of rest that begins on Friday evening and closes on Saturday night. For those 25 hours, observers refrain from doing any work.
Pride and Prejudice is a classic that’s had to suffer through a lot of remixes. In the past 20 years, Jane Austen’s classic novel has been turned into a Renee Zellweger vehicle, a musical, a Bollywood musical and a parallel universe zombie epic.
And although watching The Hobbit or Harry Potter may not feel like a particularly stimulating activity, he says that people may in fact work harder when watching a fantasy movie to develop a sophisticated interpretation.
Ramin also hopes to build hype for the product via an online yodeling competition. Participants can enter to win a variety of ski prizes by uploading a video of themselves yodeling to the YodelUp Facebook page.
The conference’s primary organizer is Stephanie Dreier, whose research examines the link between fairy tales and fantasy. Both genres share a common legacy in educating new generations about the values and traditions of a particular society.
Dr. Ramer is bearded and ascotted while belting a show tune in a local production of The Pirates of Penzance. By day a scientist, by night an actor — this professor is an excellent model for following one’s dreams in a practical, balanced capacity.
“I heard my dad say ‘Folk songs were the original social media.’ I believe this to be very true. Music will always be important; it is a reflection of who we are, who we were, and gives us the clarity to see who we can become.”