By Becky Evans
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre’s black box production of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play has opened up new matinee shows in order to reach more audiences with a different take on a classic Christmas tale. Most people are familiar with Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. CPT’s It’s a Wonderful Life, written by Joe Landry, was originally performed in 1996 at Stamford Center for the Arts and through word of mouth alone has been performed across the country ever since. This version is performed as a 1940’s live radio broadcast complete with ONAIR signs and APPLAUSE signs. A cast of seven actors perform the dozens of characters in a radio play that follows the life of George Bailey as he meets and falls for the love of his life, Mary. Through a tragic mistake, George finds himself contemplating suicide and believing that the world would have been better without him in it. That’s where Clarence the guardian angel comes in and attempts to save George by showing him a world where he had never been born. It is a heartwarming Christmas tale that teaches us the impact that one life can have on so many people.
The play is set in the 40’s as evidenced by costuming designed by Kennedy Miller, which included details like 40’s shoes, shawls, glasses, and various hats to help distinguish which character an actor was alternating between. The Leishman Black Box Theatre is cozy and intimate, seating approximately 75 people. The show is short (about 90 minutes without an intermission) so it is great for anyone who can’t sit for a 2- or 3-hour performance.
Director Jennifer Beckstrand and Stage Manager Kristi Gowda manage to create an experience that transforms the audience into a studio audience that get to laugh at the various promotional jingles for cleaning products and hair tonics that separate chapters of the story. One of my favorite parts of the production is the sound effects. My husband grew up listening to Garrison Keiler and his amazingly talented sound artist David Madsen. In this production, Madsen produces various sound effects like closing doors, stomping feet, water rushing down a river that add to the feeling of the “radio broadcast” making it more believable and enjoyable. He has an interesting silent banter with stage manager Kellie Chapman ,who rocks some red librarian glasses and keeps the crew on task.
Ed Farnsworth is so believable as George Bailey and even nails the verbal nuances of George from the beloved film version. Angel Vandergrift Park is a beautiful Mary, effortlessly transitioning from 18-year-old Mary to wife of George and the mother of his children. Scott Fisher, of the Fisher and Todd radio personality, is especially fun to watch as he has to transition from the grumpy Mr. Potts to the silly old Uncle Billy to narrator/ boss of Clarence and back to radio announcer. He changes between characters, including vocal styles and body posturing, and seems to do it effortlessly. There is a photo montage in the lobby outside the theatre that Fisher procured signed by the original cast of the beloved film. Jessica Love is the female version of Fisher who plays most of the females in the play. She is comical and delivers humor and poise. David Nielsen also plays several characters, but his most endearing character is Clarence the angel second class who is trying desperately to prove himself, help George, and earn his wings. He, like this play, is funny, charming, and just delightful.
If you are looking for an uplifting, family friendly Christmas show that will leave you with the desire to wrap your loved ones close and scream into the snow, “Merry Christmas,” the It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is it! Come see It’s a Wonderful Life like you’ve never seen it before.
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, Leishman Performance Hall, 525 North 400 West, Centerville, UT 84014
Nov. 29-Dec. 21, 2019 M/TH/F/S 7:00 PM
Contact: 801-298-1302, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday – Saturday
Tickets: Flex Pass (4 Shows) $40, Single Ticket $15, tickets@centerpointtheatre.org
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