“A Christmas Story:” A wonderful life for Chelsea Blount
Young actress in playhouse production
In “A Christmas Story,” now playing at the Palmdale Playhouse, she’s Helen Weathers, the little girl reading the very long book report in class. But in real life she’s 10-year-old Chelsea Blount, fifth-grader at Esperanza Elementary School and aspiring singer.
Although Chelsea is not the star, she appears several times in the play. The book-reading scene in act one is her time to shine, and she makes the most of it. This holiday story is not her first theatrical effort. In April, she also appeared in another Palmdale Playhouse production, “Samson and Delilah.”
Chelsea’s mother, Erika Dowd, says Chelsea really loves to sing, but wanted to get into acting. Her first acting experience was a production at the family’s church, Spirit Food Christian Center in Woodland Hills. But now, that she has caught the acting bug, Chelsea has hired an agent and often commutes into Los Angeles to audition for theater roles and commercials.
Her father, Carlton Blount, a former lead singer with such well-known R&B groups as the Main Ingredient and the Manhattans, featured her on his CD, “Carlton Blount: From a Man’s Point of View in 2002.” She sang a song called “Just Believe.” Chelsea and her brother Corey are both featured on an as-yet-unreleased CD titled “Being Blunt.”
“A Christmas Story,” the 1983 movie classic, was first a play based on the short stories and anecdotes of author Jean Shepherd. It’s about 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (played by Nathan McMurray), who above all else wants a Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas and, of course, some people are reluctant to see him get one.
His mother, his teacher and the department store Santa Claus all have one warning for him: “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
But when Christmas arrives, Ralphie gets his gun and, of course, he does shoot himself right under the eye. No harm done. It’s a comedy, and all in good fun.
You can catch the final three productions of “A Christmas Story”– and see Chelsea Blount—Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Playhouse, 38334 10th St., or Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for evening performances and $10 for Sunday. For further information, call (661) 267-5684.
The Palmdale Playhouse will present its next travelogue, “Sea to Shining Sea in a Model T,” this Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m. at the Playhouse, 38334 10th St. East, in Palmdale. Tickets are $5.
It was 100 years ago that Henry Ford introduced the first Model T Ford—the car that changed America.
The Palmdale Concert and Symphonic Orchestras will present a classical evening concert entitled “A Little Bit of Night Music” on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Palmdale Playhouse, located at 38334 10th Street East in Palmdale.
Under the direction of Patricia Graham, the concert will feature Symphony No. 94 by Franz Joseph Haydn, Resurgences by Robert Sheldon and Poem for Orchestra by John Tatgenhorst.
The Palmdale Playhouse will hold open auditions for the upcoming ballet “The Nutcracker Story” Saturday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Playhouse, located at 38334 10th St. East in Palmdale.
The Palmdale Junior Ballet, directed by Heather Benes, will present a version of the holiday classic featuring the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker Prince and all the favorite Nutcracker characters.
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.—Rapper Krayzie Bone was arrested today on suspicion of driving under the influence in Woodland Hills, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The 39-year-old rapper, whose real name is Anthony Henderson, was arrested about 12:30 a.m. on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, near the Ventura (101) Freeway, said Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera of the Media Relations office.
Dance enthusiasts have until Thursday, Aug. 9, to take advantage of the early bird discounts being offered by Palmdale Playhouse for its upcoming tap, jazz and ballet dance classes.
Performance tap and jazz classes begin Aug. 6. A non-performance exercise ballet class for teens and adults and performance ballet classes start Aug. 7. Fall session fees are $70 for Palmdale residents ($60 with early bird sign-up) and $90 non-residents ($80 with early bird sign-up).
