"A Christmas Story: The Musical" Will Be Part Of Rising Star's Christmas Casino

Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 7:56 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Ralphie and crew will be on the stage in Rising Sun this November and December.

(Rising Sun, Ind.) - Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun will continue it’s Christmas-themed casino this holiday season, complete with a leg lamp.

This year, part of the Christmas casino fanfare will be a stage production of a classic Christmas movie. A Christmas Story: The Musical will be produced by Ghostlight Theatricals at Rising Star Casino’s Grand Theatre.

Performances of the off-Broadway show will run each Thursday through Sunday beginning November 15 and continuing through December 28.

Each ticket to A Christmas Story: The Musical will come with a buffet dinner. It will be the first-ever dinner theater production at the casino in Rising Sun.

The casino says the production will be by a professional cast and production team with Ghostlight Theatricals.

According to the announcement, “The role of ‘The Old Man’ is played by John Vessels, a regular on regional stages including Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis and Derby Dinner Playhouse near Louisville. Another Indianapolis performer is Carrie Neal who plays ‘Mother.’ ‘Ralphie’ is played by Finn O'Hara of Youngstown, Ohio. The cast is filled out by Randa Meierhenry, Sarah Willis, Lauren Bass, Crystal Nichols, Hope Pauly, Wendell Hester, Todd Tucker, Jake Smith, Gray Lynn and Gerard Pauwels. The show is directed by Darrin Murrell with music direction by Cincinnati-based Griff Bludworth and choreography by Cincinnati-based Heather Hale. Costumes are by Natalie Cagle with scenic design by Shane Cinal.”

Rising Star Casino’s Christmas Casino makeover has helped improve attendance and the casino’s bottom line each of the past three years. The casino is taken over by animatronic North Pole scenes, Christmas trees, and live reindeer.

The riverboat casino’s executives, led by CEO Dan Lee, have taken other unconventional means of making the casino more profitable. Earlier this month, the casino-owned and operated MS Lucky Lady ferry boat began shuttling travelers across the Ohio River between Rising Sun and Rabbit Hash.