Drexel Hill actor has role in ‘A Christmas Story’
Anthony Flamminio’s first experience with the classic film, “A Christmas Story,” started when he was 4 years old.
Visiting relatives in Pittsburgh, the family watched the film on PBS on Christmas Day.
They enjoyed it so much, that they continued the tradition at home in Drexel Hill each year on Christmas Day.
“PBS would show the film continuously all day,” said Flamminio. “And we’d leave it on all day so we could watch throughout the day.”
Each year, he looked forward to this tradition.
“I knew the move so well,” Flamminio said. “I knew all the characters and themes.”
But this season, he knows it in a very different way. The film evolved into an award-winning Broadway musical. And this holiday season, the Walnut Street Theatre is presenting its own production of “A Christmas Story, The Musical.”
Flamminio, 14, has a featured role. Performances continue through Sunday at the theater, located at 825 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
Set in Indiana in the 1940s, the show focuses on Ralphie, a boy who yearns for a special Christmas gift. Audiences meet his family, his friends, even a dog who cavorts across the stage. The production includes songs, dance numbers, and varied stage effects.
And because its main character is a young boy, the cast includes a number of youngsters who play his friends and participate in song and dance numbers.
One of the characters is the town bully, Scut Farkas. Four evenings a week, the role is played by Flamminio.
“Off the stage, I’m really the complete opposite of a bully!” he said. But onstage, he’s a tough kid in his two scenes as a bully. He struts and swaggers, and has what he calls “an evil laugh,” and can throw a punch.
Which is what he Flamminio in a fight scene in Act II. As the bully, he’s been taunting Ralphie and provoking his anger. “Ralphie builds up his anger and frustration, and it makes him strong,” Flamminio said. “And that’s how he manages to beat me up.”
It’s a scene with much fast action, including punches. And there’s the surprise of Ralphie dominating the bully in the fight.
“He sits on me and throws punches and then I fall flat on my back,” said Flamminio, who has to land flat on his back.
It’s a dramatic scene, and it took much practice to get it right. The two young actors were guided by the director, James Rocco, and the choreographer, Linda Goodrich, so that they could do the scene safely.
“I had to practice exactly where to fall to fall on the stage,” Flamminio said. “But overall, it worked smoothly.”
Besides his role as a bully, Flamminio is also part of the ensemble of 13 youngsters who sing and dance in eight scenes. The numbers include tap, jazz and more. Because Flamminio is a competitive tap dancer, he especially enjoys the scene with a major tap number.
Unlike the professional actors in the cast, youngsters like Flamminio had to balance their role as actors with that of students. Performances began with previews Nov. 10, so the school term was still in session, and continued that way for much of the performance schedule.
The young actors are divided into two groups so they don’t have to do the full performance schedule each week. Four nights a week, Tuesday through Friday, Flamminio is on stage as the bully and in the ensemble. His alternate plays the role for matinees and Saturday and Sunday.
Even though Flamminio’s performances did not overlap with school hours, there was always homework to complete. Fortunately, he attends a cyber school, which means all work is done online.
“So I would bring my laptop and do my homework between scenes,” he said.
Two days a week, Flamminio attends the Center for Performing and Fine Arts in West Chester. But that, too, did not interfere with his performance schedule.
The versatile, young actor has varied interests besides theater. One of them is competitive tap dancing. He attends the Broadway Bound Dance Academy in Media, and last year, his team won several first-place awards. This year, they will compete in the tri-state area in February.
And although it has nothing to do with acting or dancing, Flamminio is also devoted to Legos.
“I love them!” he said. “I build them all the time. There are sets of Legos all over my house.”
As for acting, that’s been a longtime interest. He landed his first role at age 8 when he was cast in “Children of Eden,” a production at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School.
“It was really cool,” Flamminio recalled. “I loved it, and then I started auditioning and did stuff in community theater.”
Last year, he was in the ensemble for the Walnut Street Theatre production of “Mary Poppins.”
“It was a great experience,” he said. “It was really cool to meet and work with all these professional actors.”
The rising young star also gained an agent last year, Shirley Grant, and this summer, he was cast in a movie, “The Silent Treatment.” He plays the role of Joey, who is also a bully. The movie will be released this year.
Meanwhile, Flamminio is still enjoying performing in “A Christmas Story” four evenings a week. He enjoys the singing and dancing as an ensemble member.
“But I especially like playing the bully,” he said. “It’s fun to portray a character who is completely unlike who I am.”