The yuletide film–turned–Broadway musical will be regifted again, this time as a Fox event (Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.). Set in the 1940s, A Christmas Story Live! follows young Ralphie Parker’s very eventful holiday. EW triple-dog-dared stars Broderick (the narrator) and Rudolph (Ralphie’s mom) to reveal how they breathed new life into a classic.
Thanks to annual 24-hour marathons, A Christmas Story has quite the cult following: Did you draw on the original cast for inspiration?
MAYA RUDOLPH I love Melinda Dillon [as the mother] in the movie so much. I didn’t expect to ever play her part in the musical, but she really shines for me in that movie. She’s just wonderfully warm and a little bit her own odd, quirky mother that’s not a normal mother but is a normal mother.
MATTHEW BRODERICK I knew some of [author] Jean Shepherd’s [adaptations] from before that. On PBS there were a couple, and my father [actor James Broderick] played the “old man.” So I knew those really well, and I always loved them, and I met Jean Shepherd when I was young.
RUDOLPH That’s a pretty amazing coincidence.
Will fans spot a lot of references to the film? And will there be any 2017 updates?
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