Noble Fool stages cheery adaptation of 'Wonderful Life'
Unless you've been living without American TV for the last 40 years or so, you almost certainly know the story of small-town do-gooder George Bailey as told in “It's a Wonderful Life,” the beloved, 1946 Frank Capra film starring James Stewart and Donna Reed.
If you adore the original, you'll likely feel the same about “It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” currently in a sweet production at Noble Fool Theatricals in St. Charles. But if the movie gives you the bah humbugs, nothing about this live version which, if anything, amps up the cuteness will change your mind.
Except for his one lapse into despair, George remains saintly and forbearing; Mr. Potter remains money-grasping and evil-minded; and Angel Second Class Clarence still twinkles.
This idealistic tale of how one man can make a difference and goodwill can triumph over material wealth was not a great success when the movie premiered. “Practically all the actors involved behave as cutely as pixies,” commented The New Yorker, describing the movie as “so mincing as to border on baby talk.”
It brought in minimal box-office returns as well. Only after the film's copyright lapsed in the 1970s and it began to get regular showings on television did it became a popular holiday tradition.
Adapted by Joe Landry in 1996 from the screenplay of the classic film, “It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” adds a frame of a 1940s radio show, complete with sound-effects man and piano accompaniment. That conceit doesn't enhance the familiar story much, but it makes it manageable onstage, replacing the movie's dozens of characters with a cast of five who portray radio actors performing a Christmas Eve broadcast of “It's a Wonderful Life” before a live audience, each taking multiple roles.
Noble Fool's production shifts Landry's adaptation from Manhattan to Chicago and heightens the sweetness factor with some youthful additions, including a Methodist-school singing ensemble, with their teacher, played by Laura Eilers. Two alternating groups of extra-adorable local girls play the Methodist singers: Leikyn Bravo (12, South Elgin), Megan Graal (11, West Chicago), Amelia Kuhlman (8, St. Charles), Annamarie Schutt (12, South Elgin) and Madysen Simanonis (10, Winfield); and Emily Leahy (9, Elk Grove Village), Kelsey Pettrone (12, LaGrange), Rebecca Roy (13, Geneva), Marie Turner (10, Sleepy Hollow) and Melissa Wickland (12, Schaumburg), who performed when I saw the show. The kids sing a holiday song and stand in as the Bailey children.
This production also gives the sound man a nephew. Young Stirling Joyner is appealing, but the role doesn't add a great deal to the plot. We're led at the beginning to think he'll be a comic element interrupting the action, yet he's largely extraneous. The local adaptation also adds some fairly straightforward commercials for Fox Valley businesses to Landry's comic, period-style advertisements for hair tonic and soap.
Of course, with such a well-known story, there's no suspense left whatsoever. The fun stuff comes in the logistics of the radio performance on Kevin Depinet's convincing stage set and the versatility of the cast. Director Rachel Rockwell has assembled a talented group, who sing such songs as “Button Up Your Overcoat” and “Merry American Christmas” along with performing the play within the play.
Jack Sweeney doubles as sound-effects man and actor, rushing back and forth with earnest fervor. George Keating, as the lead actor portraying George Bailey, offers a resemblance to Stewart with a less laconic style. Dev Kennedy plays the slightly irascible station manager and a variety of voice parts with verve. Anna Hammonds and Jessie Fisher give freshness to the female roles. Tom Clear ably plays multiple roles, including Clarence, as well as accompanying beautifully on piano, a highlight of the show.
Like the movie, “It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” offers family-friendly, unambiguously upbeat Christmas entertainment, in which you can count on nice people receiving the merit they deserve.
<p><b>“It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”</b></p>
<p>Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½</p>
<p>Info: Noble Fool Theatricals at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 584-6342, noblefool.org</p>
<p>Showtimes: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 26 with additional 2 p.m. shows Thursdays in December</p>
<p>Running time: About two hours with intermission</p>
<p>Tickets: $29.50-$39.50</p>
<p>Parking: Free lot adjoining the theater</p>
<p>Rating: All ages</p>