SOUTH PORTLAND – For many people the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without watching the beloved holiday classic, “A Christmas Story,” which follows Ralphie Parker in his desperate attempts to ensure he gets a very special, particular BB gun for Christmas.

On Friday, Dec. 5, “A Christmas Story: The Musical” opens at the Portland Players in South Portland. Director Michael Donovan said the show follows the storyline of the movie, but “as a musical it has its own identity.”

He said theatergoers would “certainly recognize the characters and themes” from the iconic movie, which hit the big screen in 1983. Two years ago the Library of Congress selected the movie for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

And, last year, the movie was made into a musical. Donovan said the Portland Players is one of the few community theaters in the country to secure the rights to “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” and he hopes people will celebrate the holiday season by attending the live theater production.

“We have tried to keep as true to the movie as possible,” he said. Donovan said the biggest differences between the movie and the musical is that the fantasy sequences in the film have now been turned into “big production numbers.”

He also said that the parents have a much bigger role in the stage version. Donovan said the parents, played by Amy Torrey and Tommy Waltz, have a number of songs that explore the themes of kids, family and tradition.

In all, he said, “A Christmas Story: The Musical is a feel-good, family Christmas show. It’s just a really heart-warming, fun and light hearted holiday show.”

Twelve-year-old William Pearson, from Cape Elizabeth, plays Ralphie, and Donovan said the youngster is “just fantastic” in the role. “He has to sing, dance and be funny.”

What Donovan has most enjoyed about directing the show, he said, it that “it’s a great community effort. As a community theater we rely on all volunteers.”

He also said it’s been a joy to work with several members of the same family who were cast together. “It’s just been a really fun experience,” Donovan added. “This show is such an iconic holiday treasure.”

Like the movie, the musical is set in a small town in Indiana in the 1940s. The gift Ralphie wants most in the world is “a Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in the stock.”

Despite the warnings from his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus that he would shoot his eye out if he got the BB gun, Ralphie still wants it more than anything.

In advertising the show, the Portland Players’ website says, “Don’t miss this nostalgic and very humorous tale of quirky childhood innocence, perfect for young and old alike.”

Donovan, who has directed shows at the Portland Players for the past 14 years, most recently directed the fall production of “Les Miserables.”

Playing the members of the Parker family in the Portland Players’ upcoming production of “A Christmas Story: The Musical” are Amy Torrey, Tommy Waltz, William Pearson and CJ Marenghi.