EAST HADDAM — The Halloween costumes have all been put away, the turkeys are being prepped, and the mall Santas are out in force. That can only mean one thing: The holiday season is officially upon us.

There is no better way to kick off the holidays than seeing Goodspeed Opera House’s new production of A Christmas Story The Musical. Director Hunter Foster has brought this musical, based on the iconic 1983 film, to vibrant and joyous life on the East Haddam stage.

A Christmas Story has become the cornerstone of holiday movies. Based on humorist Jean Shepard’s book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, both the movie and the show weave together a series of vignettes to tell the story of the Parker family and their holiday adventures. From The Old Man’s (his actual character’s name) pursuit of winning a major award to son Ralphie’s quest for the perfect Christmas present — a Red Ryder BB gun — the story has become one of the most memorable and quotable of all time.

Dear Evan Hansen composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul were tasked with composing the score and Joseph Robinette took on adapting the script for the stage. There have been many attempts as of late to bring movies to the stage, most of them unsuccessful.

Goodspeed audiences can see why this adaptation has lived on. With catchy songs like “It All Comes Down to Christmas,” “Ralphie to the Rescue,” and “Sticky Situation,” this musical instantly joins the pantheon of great holiday musicals.

The Goodspeed cast is stacked with some of the most talented performers that stage has seen in quite a while. The audience is immediately welcomed into the cozy house on Cleveland Street by Jean Shepard (played here by John Scherer). Scherer serves as the narrator for the piece, seamlessly guiding the audience from scene to scene. Scherer is the perfect choice for this role and brings not only humor charm, but a nostalgic emotional core that lays the groundwork for the entire show. Scherer has the audience in the palm of his hand.

Heading up the Parker family are Broadway vets Jim Stanek as The Old Man and Jenn Gambatese as Mother. Both are outstanding and have wonderful chemistry. Stanek does an incredible job of honoring the iconic Old Man from the film, while also making it completely his own. He has so many standout moments, but his big number “A Major Award” brings down the house.

Gambatese is equally as powerful as Mother. Gambatese is the emotional anchor of the show, completely embodying the show’s themes of love and family. It’s always a joy to watch Gambatese on stage.

The two Parker children, Ralphie and Randy, are portrayed by Christopher Riley and Camilo Velasquez Escamilla, respectively. Riley barely leaves the stage the whole show and gives an incredible performance as Ralphie. His vocals and comedic skills are on par with all the Broadway veterans that populate the stage around him.

Velasquez Escamilla knocks the physical comedy required for Randy out of the park. The audience could have watched the scene of Randy getting put into a snow suit for an hour, it was that hilarious.

It’s unfortunate there is not enough room in this review to mention every one of the children in the show. Each of them perfectly embodied their characters. Not to mention their talent. The Act 2 musical number “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out” is a fantast sequence in a 30’s speakeasy that involves most of the children in one of the most advanced tap numbers I’ve seen on or off Broadway. Each child absolutely nails it. The number is worth the price of admission.

A quick shout-out to Zeke Bernier, who plays bully Grover Dill and others. Every time he sets foot on stage, the audience is in stitches. You could tell the audience was keeping their programs so that when all of the kids hit it big they can say that they saw them way back when.

A Christmas Story The Musical at Goodspeed Opera House is indeed the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Grab tickets now before they’re all gone, leaving you saying “oh, fudge!”

Tickets and more information can be found at goodspeed.org.