This community theater is professionally run and the productions values are great, especially for a small theater that just recently had to move. Was impressed with all performances in their current show (12/2016) "A Christmas Story," especially the kids, they were adorable! Costumes, lights, set, all well done.
My beef is with the material itself, that is all about an 11 year-old boy desperately wanting a gun for Christmas, just a harmless little BB gun with a fancy name that is repeated as a hilarious running joke throughout the play, with the hilarious running response from all the adults in the room, "You could shoot your eye out with that thing."
The ending (spoiler alert) fades out on the kid as a grown man (who has been monotonously reminiscing on his quirky childhood throughout the play) snuggling up to his brand new rifle as he goes to sleep on Christmas night.
Social conscience, hello? "Accidental gun deaths involving children are a major problem in the U.S."
http://www.ibtimes.com/accidental-gun-deaths-involving-children-are-major-problem-us-2250568
There is really really really NOTHING CUTE about giving a kid a gun and showing him how to load it right there under the Christmas tree, with no reference at all to gun safety issues, and of course (spoiler alert) he immediately shoots his eye out, or thinks he does, ha ha!
I also didn't like the part when all the kids in the show stood right at the front of the stage pointing their guns towards the audience. I think they were supposed to be pointing above the audience's heads, but not all of them were and it was creepy in any case.
I'm all for the Second Amendment, don't get me wrong, but there is no excuse for a play directed towards children being so irresponsible on a life and death issue of this kind. So kudos for a professionally run performance, but only two stars for dangerously INAPPROPRIATE material directed at kids. Yes, I know it's based on a popular film, but haven't we grown up a little around issues of gun safety, especially with children? Besides the symbolism of giving a child a gun as a gift to show how much you love him left me feeling just a little sick. read more