By Christina Carrick
In their cozy Britton Black Box Theater, Covey Center for the Arts brings a fun and interesting take on a classic with It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play. The production is a beautiful and evocative piece of theater, with a story that is timeless. The message is moving. The voice acting is exciting and dynamic. All in all, Covey’s It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play makes for an excellent evening of live Christmas theatrics.
The moment you enter the intimate theater, you are immersed in a 1940’s New York radio studio. There are standing mics front and center and a side station with seemingly random props and gadgets and a mic that will later be used to create all the show’s sound effects. There is a radio show playing quietly in the background as people find their seats, which only adds to the nostalgia and atmosphere. As the actors enter the theater, they are immediately in character as their radio actor personas. Each one is in 1940’s costuming (Chelsea Mortensen). Eavesdropping on their true-to-time-period conversations is positively transportive.
It’s a Wonderful Life– A Live Radio Play, adapted by Joe Landry for radio format, tells the story of George Bailey, whose dreams seem thwarted at every turn. He finds himself in his middle age happily married with four beautiful children, but when a catastrophe happens at work that threatens to ruin him professionally, he faces the tragic impression that he is worth more dead than alive and considers suicide on Christmas Eve. His life story is told by a Senior Angel, preparing the less experienced angel Clarence to step in and help George survive that dark night.
The play features five actors and one foley artist in charge of sound effects. The actors each have a dominant role, but all except George Bailey’s actor play various voices throughout the presentation. I was especially impressed by the voice talent of Parker Kelly, who plays the host of the radio show and also embodies the voice of a number of different important character. He has a spectacular talent for giving each character a unique voice, cadence, and demeanor. His Uncle Billy is especially endearing. Ian Buckley plays the lovable apprentice angel Clarence, but he also shines in many other roles. They each bring great texture to the show with their unique vocal impressions.
I can’t help but think Jimmy Stewart would be proud of Matthew de la Fuente’s performance of George Bailey. He is incredibly emotive and engaging in his portrayal of George. Though the show really could succeed as a purely radio performance, de la Fuente brings a lot to the table in-person. He plays Bailey as charming and passionate, yet flawed and burdened by raw emotion and desperation as well.
Sally Applewhite (Lorianne Poulsen) and Lana Sherwood (Chelsea Tramell) do a beautiful job as Mary Hatch and Violet Bick respectively, but one of my favorite parts of the evening is their work in the radio ads. These ads provide comedic relief as they are interspersed throughout the play. Applewhite and Sherwood embody the time period so well in their voices and acting. Women in the 1940’s have such a particular accent and tone to their voices, and they nail it. Their costuming, done by Mortensen, is also fabulously-forties. I so enjoyed their hair stylings and small costuming details.
Ellen Mahoney (Elizabeth Wheeler) as the foley artist, has most physically demanding job in the show. She is constantly using every kind of creative object to make sound effects, but also running back and forth from her station to the door to open and shut it for sound and occasionally to stumble around like a drunk person. She has excellent timing and the sound effects she produces enhance each scene.
It’s a Wonderful Life – A Radio Play is one of my favorite live Christmas productions I’ve ever attended. The beauty of a radio show format is that the minimalism leaves so much room for your mind to fill in the blanks. I did not for a moment miss backgrounds or greater range of movement from the actors. Their voices and sound effects fill the black box theater, and any spots that are missed your imagination fills in. It’s a Wonderful Life is so timely and moving, especially during the Christmas season. As director Adam Cannon points out, “Being reminded of the impact we have on so many others in our limited time on this earth always helps me get out of the selfishness that so often permeates the Christmas season… ‘It’s amazing how one man’s life can touch so many others for good.’”
Covey Center for the Arts presents It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play, adapted by Joe Landry.
Covey Center for the Arts Britton Black Box Theater, 425 W Center St, Provo, UT 84601
December 5-21, 2019 7:30 PM
Tickets: $14-$16
Covey Center for the Arts Facebook Page
It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play Facebook Event
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