Two sets of siblings, a husband and wife team, and a father and son make up much of the cast of Temple Theatre’s debut of ‘A Christmas Story,’ a classic that embodies the American family experience during the holidays
By Billy Liggett
Jean Shepherd, author of the semi-autobiographical stories that would make up the script for the beloved holiday film “A Christmas Story” in 1983, never viewed his creation as either “cozy” or “sentimental.” In fact, Shepherd — whose works were often published in satirical magazines or liberal-leaning publications like Playboy — viewed it as more of a statement on commercialism and the “disappointments that often define the merry season … what Christmas was like for real families,” according to a 2016 article by Vanity Fair.
Forty years later, “A Christmas Story” is considered among the top tier of holiday films. The story of Ralphie Parker’s quest to convince his parents that an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time is the ideal gift for a 9-year-old boy — despite adult concerns that he’ll shoot his eye out — has not only become “cozy, sentimental” comfort food for Americans this time of year, it’s considered by many to be one of the most accurate on-screen embodiments of the American family.
“A Christmas Story” makes its Temple Theatre debut this month on the theater’s main stage as this year’s holiday production (“A Christmas Carol” is usually the season’s headliner, but past deviations have included “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Away in a Basement” and “Plaid Tidings”). And while casts of past Temple shows like to consider themselves one big family, this year’s cast takes that sentiment a step further as four sets of family members — husband and wife Jonathan and Seana Laverentz, father and son José and Noé Cangas and siblings Jude and Cora Stumpf and Aidan and Summer Fitzgerald — will perform together in a show that, deep down, is about family.
“I think the reason this show connects so deeply with families is because it’s really a story about relationships,” says Jonathan Laverentz, who plays the adult Ralphie and serves as the narrator throughout the show. “It shows that no matter what trauma befalls you, you hunker down and get through it together. That’s what family is all about.”
The Rant sat down with the four family units during their final week of rehearsals for “A Christmas Story” and asked them what it’s like performing with each other and why the show — and Temple Theatre — holds a special place in their hearts.
JONATHAN & SEANA
Jonathan and Seana Laverentz met and shared their first stage 30 years ago on a cruise ship production of “Grease.” Back in 1993, they were the off-again, on-again couple Kenickie and Rizzo. In 2023, they are Ralphie Parker and, well, his mother … but more on that later.
Their path to Temple Theatre was forged by connections made early in their stage careers and chance proximity years later. Seana Laverentz first met Peggy Taphorn — Temple’s producing artistic director for the last 16 years — in the early 90s at the West Virginia Public Theatre in Morgantown. She and Jonathan also knew Gavan Pamer — Temple’s associate artistic director — from long-ago shows in Pennsylvania, so when they moved to Cary, North Carolina, from Illinois in 2018 and reached out about local professional and community theaters, they were pleasantly shocked to see two familiar faces just down the road in Sanford.
In town to see Temple’s production of “Into the Woods” that year, the Laverentzes had lunch with their old friend when Pamer suggested Jonathan go for a role in “1776” later that fall. He landed the part of John Dickinson and returned the following year to play Mr. Bumble in “Oliver!” Seana’s first Temple show was “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at the height of the pandemic in 2020, and she’s since had roles in “A Christmas Carol” and “All Shook Up.”
“A Christmas Story” is actually their second Temple production together, as both worked in “A Christmas Carol” in 2021. The parents of three children — Quinton, Keiran and Piper — the Laverentzes say the 1983 film is one of their annual holiday traditions, because it’s a story about family above all else.
“One of the famous lines from the adult Ralphie — after the Bumpus hounds get the Old Man’s turkey — is, ‘Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us,’” Jonathan says. “But what did they do when all was lost? They were resilient and came together, and he’s like, ‘You know, we’re just going to do something else. We’re going to do something as a family.’ And that’s the cool thing about it. It’s a story about how families come together.”
Seana says the story also taps into the wonderment of being a child, of wanting something so much and how that plays into the family dynamic.
“When I was growing up, it wasn’t a gun that I wanted, but I certainly had these big dreams and fantasies,” she says. “There’s just so much about this story that we can relate to, because we were all there as children.”
In the movie, the adult Ralphie is a floating voice — the voice of Jean Shepherd — who narrates the film as if it’s one big memory. “The Wonder Years” in the 1990s and several shows since have leaned on that storytelling device to explain what’s being seen on the screen. In the stage version of “A Christmas Story,” adult Ralphie is still the narrator, but he’s walking through the scenes much like a ghost, only seen by the audience. Jonathan says he spent a lot of time preparing for the role in his backyard with a beer in one hand and his script in the other, working on his delivery of certain lines to capture the same emotion Shepherd brings to the film.
“I, like many of us who’ve seen the film a number of times, love his voice and his very distinctive way of speaking,” he says. “Trying to bring that emotion in the way I speak, I think, draws more life into the character. He might just be in the background, but the personality and color he brings adds a lot of color to the memories we’re seeing on the screen.”
Having a “ghostly” presence on stage makes it interesting for the other actors, Seana says, because when the adult Raphie speaks, the others have to carry on like he’s not there. “As an actor, you’re usually in the moment with your character, but you have this guy who keeps interjecting,” she says. “It’s almost like a dance, like choreography, because you’re still moving while the audience focuses on him.”
It’s only when it’s brought up during the course of the interview that Jonathan and Seana Laverentz realize that they are, in essence, playing mother and son in “A Christmas Story,” even if the “son” part is older and “not really there.” Still, it draws a laugh.
“Well, I do always say that I have four children [instead of three],” Seana says, looking to her left. “So, you know, maybe it’s not entirely strange.”
JOSÉ & NOÉ
It wasn’t a Red Ryder José Cangas longed for as a kid, but a Nintendo Entertainment System. But like Ralphie Parker, José was the product of parents who didn’t share his enthusiasm for the gift.
“My parents hated video games,” he says.
For his son, Noé, the coveted gift was an iPhone.
“You can’t shoot your eye out with it, but [my parents] act like it’s just as dangerous,” he says.
The father-son relationship between Ralphie and his Old Man in “A Christmas Story” is the heart of the film. While Ralphie views his father as gruff and far from perfect, the film goes out of its way to portray the Old Man as someone who loved his family and, above all else, someone who tried to make a happy home.
José Cangas plays the Old Man in Temple Theatre’s “A Christmas Story,” and rather than “modernizing” or changing the character immortalized on screen by Darren McGavin, he’s approaching the role as an homage to McGavin, even though he’s younger than and looks nothing like his predecessor.
“I am a purist when it comes to any role from a movie,” he says. “I refuse to ‘make it my own.’ I want to be as much like the Old Man in the movie as I can. It’s a fine balance between a tough, strict father and a silly, funny dad.”
His real-life son, Noé, doesn’t play his son on stage — rather, he’s Ralphie’s sidekick, Schwartz, the schemer who dares their friend Flick to stick his tongue to a frozen light pole on the playground. Like his real-life father, Noé is approaching Schwartz in the same smart-alecky way as actor R.D. Robb.
“I’m a fan of the original, and I try to be just like Schwartz in the movie,” he says. “Immature and kind of a bad influence.”
While José and Noé have each appeared in a handful of Temple shows — José was Lumiere in the successful run of “Beauty and the Beast” in 2018, and Noé was one of three boys chosen to play Oliver in “Oliver!” during that musical’s three-week run in 2019 — “A Christmas Story” will mark the first time the two will share a stage. It’s already been a special experience for the older of the Cangas duo.
“Temple Theatre is where I was finally given the opportunity to perform again after a multi-year hiatus due to Army deployments and school,” he says. “It’s the first place I had the opportunity to work in a professional theater and work in an environment where I was treated as an equal even among far more experienced performers. And to now have the opportunity to share this stage with Noé, only amplifies my connection.”
He has cheered Noé on from the audience and at sporting events like wrestling tournaments and races, but this is different, he says.
“Being in the show is like being on the same team with him,” he says, “and I am so grateful for the opportunity.”
Noé started out in Temple’s Rising Stars program before landing the lead role in “Oliver!” and he says he doesn’t remember not being a part of the theater.
“Getting to be in the same show as my dad is just super cool and something I will always remember.”
JUDE & CORA
Scut Farkus. What a rotten name. Staring at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes! So help me God, yellow eyes.
He’s one of the most notorious bullies to ever pummel a kid on the big screen. For Jude Stumpf, sliding into the role means going from one of the oldest, most experienced “kids” in the cast of “A Christmas Story” who’s there to help his younger castmates at every turn to a mean, rotten kid with yellow eyes at the flip of a switch.
“Oh, I can flip the switch,” says Jude, who’s been acting literally his entire life (at least since he was 3). “I’m a good bit older and taller than the other kids [in the cast], so I can become intimidating if I want to.”
Asked if he’s done any “role prep” on her in the last month, his sister Cora — who plays Helen Weathers, a friend of Ralphie’s who was written for the stage adaptation — is quick to to say no.
“No, no … we’re pretty close. He doesn’t bully me,” she says. “But you know, he is a wrestler. So I do think he’s enjoyed living out that inner bully on stage.”
Of all the family members performing in “A Christmas Story” this month — or really, of all the family members who have ever performed together in a Temple Theatre production — Jude and Cora Stumpf have a commanding lead when it comes to the number of shows they’ve been in together.
Cora’s first main stage production was “Beauty and the Beast” (she played Chip) in 2018, and one of Jude’s first big roles was Tiny Tim in the 2017 production of “A Christmas Carol.” Both take part in summer conservatories, both have appeared in productions in other cities, and Cora is coming off her biggest role to date as the title role in Temple’s “Annie” earlier this fall.
She says some of her earliest memories were watching her brother perform back when she was still considered “too young” to get on the stage.
“I’ve just always looked up to him, and even then, I saw him as such a big influence,” she says. “And he still is. But the shows I get to do with him are always so special, because I love sharing these kinds of experiences with him. Now that he’s 15, I’m aware that there aren’t going to be many more shows we’ll get to do together, so I really just want to treasure every moment that I have with him here … whether we’re goofing around or rehearsing together. I just like working by his side.”
The feeling is mutual for big brother.
“One of the things that I like about doing theater and other activities with my sister is you kind of have a built-in friend there,” he says. “You have somebody you can talk to and hang out with. And I think Cora and I are very similar. We’re just able to talk about a lot of things, and it makes it a really special experience to get to share something like a show with someone who you love a lot.”
Both Stumpfs consider Temple Theatre their second home. Each tried to do the math of how many hours they’ve spent performing, rehearsing and taking courses in the iconic downtown building, and both gave up almost immediately. With their current production being a show that focuses on family, the siblings both consider their castmates over the years — young and old — their extended family and an important influence on their lives.
“I’ve spent my whole life so far in this environment, and I feel like I’ve grown up here,” says Cora. “I feel like I could walk this whole place blindfolded. To me, it’s like an escape from reality, performing on stage and being a part of something special. I’ve met so many wonderful people and so many longtime friends — people I know will be a part of my life long after I leave Temple.”
Jude says it’s tough to measure how special the place is for him while he’s still a part of it, but he knows one day he’ll look back on these experiences and realize how important all of it was in shaping him.
“Without a doubt, it’s made me who I am today,” he says. “I’m a freshman in high school now, and I definitely want to keep doing theater as long as I can. Even in my adult life, if I have the time to do it. I just love everything about it, and I struggle to see a world where I don’t get to partake in it.”
AIDAN & SUMMER
If Jude and Cora Stumpf are considered the veterans of the young cast of “A Christmas Story,” Aidan Fitzgerald and his younger sister Summer Fitzgerald are definitely the rookies.
“A Christmas Story” will be the first mainstage production for both Aidan, 13, and Summer, 10, who attend school in Pittsboro. Both have been involved in summer youth conservatories at Temple, but the chance to get on the “big stage” is both exciting and nerve-wracking.
“I’ll be honest, I’m somewhat nervous. The closer it gets, the more nervous I get,” says Aidan, who plays Flick in one of the two youth casts. Flick, of course, is famous for getting his tongue stuck to the frozen metal pole on the playground — a trick, Aidan says, that is made possible on stage by some strategically placed tape. “We’ve been practicing so much the last few weeks, and as long as you work hard, practice hard and memorize your lines, once you get on stage, it all just kicks in.’
Having his sister by his side helps the nerves go away. Summer will play Randy, Ralphie’s younger brother who gets some of the most memorable scenes in the movie, from “I can’t put my arms down” to “mommy’s little piggy.”
“I love the ‘I can’t put my arms down’ scene and the scene where I get to scream on Santa’s lap the most,” she says. “I think I can do the scream pretty well.”
Aidan’s favorite scene is actually one that is new to the stage adaptation — a fantasy scene in the “swamps of Indiana” alongside Ralphie and his trusted Red Ryder. Aidan’s Flick gets some of his most memorable lines in the scene as he goes on and on about “Indiana pythons” being so unforgiving.
The Fitzgeralds have watched the movie version a few times now, both before they were aware of the show coming to Temple and since. It will always hold a special place in their hearts going forward because it was their first “big break” on the stage. Getting to experience it alongside their sibling has made it even more special.
“It’s great, because I get to work next to someone I know, and we can go home and practice our lines together,” Summer says.
“Getting to be with my sister for this has been great,” Aidan adds. “The whole experience so far has been so much fun.”