The holidays are here, and for the next month there will be no escaping It’s a Wonderful Life. Of course, there are some people who just can’t get enough of Frank Capra’s classic film about George Bailey, a restless spirit who, unable to leave the American heartland (which he hates), enlists the aid of powerful supernatural forces to viciously destroy the patriotic plans of pro-capitalist/bank-owner Henry F. Potter, an elderly gentleman who merely wishes to lead a hostile takeover of the Bedford Falls Savings and Loan in order to further enrich himself at everyone else’s expense. For those people, Playhouse on the Square has mounted It’s a Wonderful Life, A Radio Play with five actors taking on the story’s 50-plus characters.
Using the imaginative aural techniques of radio storytelling, the tiny troupe of award-winning actors, including Irene Crist, Kim Justis, Michael Gravois, and John Rone, join relative newcomer Cory Cunningham to put a nostalgic spin on this familiar tale of angst, angels, and finding the hidden riches buried in our own backyard. Directed by Pamela Poletti, who recently staged a revelatory production of Waiting for Godot at Rhodes College, It’s a Wonderful Life promises to be an excellent alternative for theatergoers who like to see one set of good old-fashioned American values utterly smashed by another set of good old-fashioned American values.
For more information, go to the Flyer’s online calendar.