Fox’s disappointing A Christmas Story Live! was a “choppy, flashy affair” that never let its audience breathe

Variety

“For viewers who love the original film, the musical didn’t look much like it,” says Sonia Saraiya. “The film has an intimate quality, but the musical was a big, loud, constantly moving production. And in place of adult Ralphie as onscreen narrator, the musical placed him onstage —a ghost unseen by his younger self or the rest of his family. The effect was that adult Ralphie (Matthew Broderick) was stalking or even haunting the family of his youth, while shamelessly gossiping about them to the audience at home. It’s creepy, and the device never quite resolved itself as the musical wears on. But in Broderick’s defense, the musical never quite resolved itself, either. It’s a choppy, flashy affair, with so many different sets that it struggled to cultivate a sense of place.”

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• Every other broadcast show beat A Christmas Story Live! in preliminary ratings