Theater
It's a Wonderful Life
Attempting a radio-drama stage version of It’s a Wonderful Life, devoid of the familiar black-and-white images of Frank Capra’s masterwork, would seem an insurmountable task. All of the classic settings—Bailey Building and Loan, Mr. Gower’s drugstore and Martini’s bar, not to mention all the other small-town nuances that make Bedford Falls one of the most recognizable settings in all of American popular culture—would be left to the audience’s imagination.
But with Joe Landry’s stage adaptation, Tennessee Rep finds its own clever way to retell the classic tale, relying on the entertaining acting skills of a spirited cast and, no less important, the audience’s built-in knowledge of, and affection for, the classic fable.
You don’t have to know the movie inside out to appreciate the five actors as they convey the story in front of microphones, accompanying themselves with sound effects and piano music. But sometimes it helps, mainly because Landry has removed some memorable scenes and dialogue in order to keep the running time under 90 minutes. Occasionally, new bits of narrative have been inserted to tie up the loose ends, but all in all, the script is faithful to the original.
Furthermore, the play works on a different level, as the Rep’s players—David Alford (who also directs), Matthew Carlton, Jenny Littleton, Marin Miller and Todd Truley—re-create the ambience and technical workings of a late-1940s radio studio, complete with flashing “Applause” sign and delightfully hammy commercial interruptions.
The cast members adeptly slip in and out of their multiple roles, and to their credit they don’t make overt attempts to imitate the voices of the original actors—though it’s somehow reassuringly comical when Carlton blusters through his bilabial plosives à la Lionel Barrymore portraying Mr. Potter. Alford’s work as Uncle Billy won’t threaten the memory of the film’s Thomas Mitchell, but his skills as a pianist may surprise those who know him primarily as an actor. Alford plunks out some stylish light jazz and blues riffs, handling most of the underscoring with class, with an occasional assist from the versatile Miller. Truley might have the toughest task of all in playing George Bailey, but he smartly concentrates on finding his own sincere reading without worrying about the ghost of Jimmy Stewart. Meanwhile, Littleton gets humorous mileage out of both male and female voices, the latter including town flirt Violet Bick. Miller pulls similar duty, with Mary Bailey her main character focus.
Gary Hoff’s period set is colorfully charming, and Trish Clark’s costumes are a subtly gorgeous feast of mid-20th century design.
It’s a wonderful show, though it may not be the ideal introduction to the story for first-timers (if there are any).
Also vying for holiday attention is GroundWorks Theatre’s American Christmas, an original work written and directed by Robert A. O’Connell.
O’Connell constructs the elaborate family tree of a fictional family of Irish Americans named Sullivan, who have contributed soldiers to America’s fighting forces through four different wars—Revolutionary, Civil, World War I and Iraq. O’Connell offers us glimpses of Christmas during wartime, with the relatives waiting patiently back in Massachusetts (stage right) while the soldier in the field (stage left) communicates with loved ones in the form of letters expressed as soliloquies.
Groundworks Theatre
In the absence of much dramatic personal confrontation, the war itself emerges as the common enemy of home-front tranquility. O’Connell’s writing is heartfelt and occasionally humorous, focusing on the deep bonds that keep families hopeful during trying times, and also acknowledging pertinent historical facts about battle campaigns and life in the ranks.
There’s a sameness to each scene that becomes visually taxing, though the routine is broken up by a unifying (if somewhat pious) narration delivered intelligently by Trish Crist. Act 2 features two moments of note: when the Sullivan involved in World War I shares a Christmas truce with a German soldier (played credibly by Dan Millard); and when the latest in the generations of Sullivans (Patsy, an MP stationed in Baghdad with the 101st Airborne) places an important phone call to her worried husband.
The ensemble of eight features Joel Higgins and Rebekah Lyons as the younger family members, who endure the most both at home and in the trenches. Of the two, Higgins acquits himself more believably, providing the necessary gravitas and a reasonable Irish accent.
American Christmas is stronger in sentiment than it is in stagecraft, though its topical subject matter should appeal to a certain segment of theatergoers.
It’s a Wonderful Life runs through Dec. 22 at TPAC’s Johnson Theater. American Christmas runs through Dec. 15 at the Darkhorse Theater.
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