A Christmas Story
Humorist Jean Shepherd's memoir of growing up in the midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself at Higbee's Department Store. The consistent response: "You'll shoot your eye out!" All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family's temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys' experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; Ralphie's father winning a lamp shaped like a woman's leg in a net stocking; Ralphie's fantasy scenarios and more. A Christmas Story is destined to become a theatrical holiday perennial.
Hastings High School. 11/30, 12/1, 7, 8. Sat: 7:00 p.m. Sun: 2:00 pm. $18 adults. $12 students (17 yr).
The Flaming Idiots
Carl and Phil decide that the ladder to success at the post office is missing a few rungs. They know that big money is waiting for people with entrepreneurial spirit and sound business judgement. They have lots of the spirit but little of the judgement and their new gourmet health food restaurant flounders. Zippy's, a popular cross town spot, has been crowded ever since Cy Manamalancia, a notorious mobster, was shot there and that was over twenty years ago. What if someone could get murdered in their restaurant? Flaming Idiots is a contemporary farce which takes place entirely in the restaurant kitchen.
Onion Grille. 1/25, 26, 31, 2/1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 15. $47 dinner/$37 lunch. Fri: 6:30 pm. Sat: 5:30 pm. Sun: 12:30 p. Accessible show at the Hastings Arts Center 2/22
Improv
A comedy showdown of epic proportions showcasing the wit and zaniness of BDT’s improvisational troupe through short form games and long form storytelling. Compare to “Whose Line is it Anyway”.
Hastings Art Center. Fridays in 2020: 1/10, 2/21, 3/13, 4/17, 5/8. PG: 7:00 pm. PG-13: 9:00 pm. $10 admission.
Improv Lite
A comedic jolt showcasing BDT’s up and coming improvisational troupe.
The Onion Grille. Selected Fridays in 2020: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. Two performances each night at 7/8 pm. No cost.
