By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of "A Christmas Story" can be summed up in three words: Go see it. Performances that continue through Dec. 30 are an opportunity to witness a cast and overall production at the top of their game in the musical telling of the classic story from the book by Joseph Robinette. It's pitch perfect, and not just in the singing and music. Mark Jeffrey James Weber is a revelation as Ralphie, the kid whose yearning for a Red Rider BB gun makes him willing to risk shooting his eye out. Jessica Skerritt as his mother, Dane Stokinger as his father and Brandon Oke as his brother, Randy, play their roles to the hilt, as well, as does the rest of the performers. Even two hound dogs that gallop through scenes as the Bumpus' hounds win the appreciation of audiences. There simply is nothing that's not to like in the production led by managing director Bernadine Griffin, executive producer and artistic director David Armstrong, and producing artistic director Bill Berry. And that's saying something, considering the stellar stage history of "A Christmas Story." It was created four years at the 5th Avenue and played to rave reviews there and in a multi-city tour, culminating in a Tony-nominated run on Broadway. And it hasn't lost any steam in its current incarnation. If anything, it's picked some up. As Ralphie's dad might say, experiencing it is a major award.
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