It’s a Wonderful Play

It's a Wonderful Life – quite possibly the ultimate in cinematic comfort food — is getting a makeover this year, and the new radio-play format is coming to the Sherman Street Event Center. The production involves seven actors playing thirty roles, all costumed in the garb of George Bailey's 1940s...

By Josiah Hesse

December 20, 2012

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It's a Wonderful Life – quite possibly the ultimate in cinematic comfort food — is getting a makeover this year, and the new radio-play format is coming to the Sherman Street Event Center. The production involves seven actors playing thirty roles, all costumed in the garb of George Bailey's 1940s America and accompanied by live sound effects. With an ironic twist, director Marilyn Spittler believes the true message of It’s a Wonderful Life resonates more clearly with new audiences than with those accustomed to annual Christmas screenings of the Jimmy Stewart flick.

"For the older generation, it is a traditional comfort, without much thought to the important message of the show," she says. "Younger audience members are more likely to see the struggle of a man considering ending his life. We deliver it in a gentle way, but the topic of suicide prevention and the value of life is crystal clear."

It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play premieres tonight at 7:30 p.m. and runs through December 23 at 1770 Sherman Street. Tickets are $25; for more information, visit www.goodnessgracious.org.
Fridays-Sundays. Starts: Nov. 23. Continues through Dec. 23, 2012

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