PLAYHOUSE STAGE COMPANY TO OPEN 38th SEASON WITH RETURN OF A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL

Cohoes Music Hall decked out for the holiday season to host Pasek & Paul musical adaptation that was acclaimed by local critics and audiences in 2024

Cohoes, N.Y. (November 24, 2025) – Playhouse Stage Company will open its 38th Season of musical theatre in New York’s Capital Region next week, as A Christmas Story: The Musical opens on Wednesday, December 3 at 7pm. The schedule of eighteen performances continues through December 21^st, with 7pm evening performances Wednesday through Saturday, as well as 2pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. The show is appropriate for all ages.

Complimentary tickets for A Christmas Story are available throughout the run for members of the media and local theatre press who wish to cover or review the production. Local new stations and social media outlets are encouraged to film footage of the performance.  To request tickets, please email Owen Smith, Producing Artistic Director, at owen@playhousestage.org. Updated production photos will be sent to the media on Wednesday, December 4.

The Playhouse looks to capture magic again after last year’s production broke records for the company, becoming the most successful presentation in PSC history. A hilarious and heart-warming crowd pleaser, A Christmas Story: The Musical tells the story of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker, who has pinned his hopes on getting a “Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun” for Christmas. The musical, with a book by Joseph Robinette, features all the iconic moments from the film, and boasts a soaring, energetic score by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman and more. The musical is based on the 1983 MGM film, as well as the film’s inspiration, the novel In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd. The musical adaptation premiered on Broadway in 2012, in a production that featured two Playhouse Stage Company students and Capital Region natives, Jack Mastrianni (as the bully, Scut Farkus), and George Franklin.

“Times Union voters chose our Christmas Story as Best Production of the Last Year in the outlet’s annual ‘Best of the Capital Region’ survey in May,” said PSC Producing Artistic Director Owen Smith “and we believe that’s entirely a testament to the incredible young talent that we are developing through Playhouse Stage Academy,” Smith continued. “The show promises even more of a punch this holiday season,” Smith continued, “with a larger cast, new snow and lighting effects, and a year of seasoning under our adult leads’ belts. It is, once again, an ideal vehicle for our incredible students, and a great option for audiences to enjoy holiday fun with the family.”

A Christmas Story: The Musical is led by venerable PSC Director Michael LoPorto, returning after this past summer’s hit Disney’s The Little Mermaid. LoPorto is joined by frequent collaborator Brian Axford as Musical Director, with Gabi Bazinet-Douglas creating choreography and musical staging. The principal adult performers, who received strong notices for their performances in 2024, all reprise their roles, including veteran area actor and Sage Theatre Institute Professor David Baecker as Jean Shepherd, his former student and Playhouse regular Nick Martiniano as The Old Man, PSC’s resident leading lady Molly Rose McGrath as Mother, and PSC Director of Education and Associate Artistic Director AshleySimone Kirchner as Miss Shields. The cast also features young Playhouse Stage Academy standout Aaron Wood, who charmed as Flounder in Little Mermaid this summer. Wood goes from playing the bully’s toady Grover Dill in last season’s Christmas Story, to leading the cast as Ralphie Parker this season.

Cohoes Music Hall is decked out for the holiday season, with ornaments and greenery enhancing the historic beauty of the 151-year-old venue. “We want to be Capital Region families’ home for holiday entertainment,” Smith noted. “Guests can make memories not just seeing the show, but getting their picture by the tree, or grabbing fresh hot cocoa while carols play on our newly restored historic player piano. It’s our goal to create a warm, welcoming, memorable experience for young and old alike.”

Tickets and 38^th Season Memberships are now on sale at the Cohoes Music Hall and Playhouse Stage box office. Adult tickets are $40.00, with $35.00 tickets available for Seniors (65 and older) and active/retired military, and $25 tickets for those under 18. Tickets may be purchased online at www.playhousestage.org, in person at 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, or by phone at 518-434-0776. More information about Playhouse Stage Company and its productions can be found online at www.playhousestage.org.   ###