Lyceum preview: Familiar but different, "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show" maintains spirit of film while taking new form

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Christmas is not far off, and for many that means its time for annual viewings of the holiday classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."

This year, fans of the film starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed can get a jump on the tradition by taking in a show at the Arrow Rock Lyceum, where "It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" will open Saturday, Nov. 14, and will run through Sunday, Nov. 22.

The play, written by Joe Landry, is in some ways a radical departure from the beloved film. The action is set in a radio studio with actors on the stage portraying radio actors performing a 1940s broadcast of "It's a Wonderful Life."

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Lyceum Artistic Director Quin Gresham said the differences are part of the charm for the play, noting that familiarity with the film present challenges, but the play's change in format creates new opportunites for actors and audiences.

"There are very literal re-creations of the Capra film, but they always seem to fall short in terms of expectation -- 'It looks like the movie, but where is Jimmy Stewart?'" he said. "What makes this adaptation work so well is the simple fact that the audience's expectations are tossed out the window as they enter the theatre. Rather than seeing a snowy Building and Loan, they see a 1940s radio studio. The experience is a fresh and new one, allowing the audience to hear the story anew."

Jacob H. Knoll, who plays George Bailey, agreed.

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"I don't want to do a Jimmy Stewart impression," he said.

While the setting helps slip out from under the shadow of the film, the script exerts an almost magnetic pull back toward it.

"You find when you read the text that it's written almost word for word how he does it in the movie," Knoll said. "Even where he takes breaks and the stuttering he has. It's almost written to sound like him, but nobody else can be a Jimmy Stewart."

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Liz Ali, who plays Mary Hatch, said the tension between familiarity and difference is what makes the play interesting.

"The movie is just so iconic. You almost have to give over to it," she said. "You don't want to try to be it, but it lives in" the play.

She said the familiarity of the script will help satisfy the film's fans.

"That's why it works as a radio show -- because people know it and love it," she said.

Those familiar with Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," a contemporary radio show that was set to film in 2006, will find some familiar ground here, although Gresham notes that the show isn't quite like Keillor's movie, either.

"I'm sure the success of stage adaptations such as this owe a lot to Garrison Keillor's show and his keeping the idea of Old Time Radio alive," Gresham said. "Though our show doesn't have the satirical slant that Prairie Home Companion sometimes does, I think the comparison is a fair one and probably is the best way to explain the format of our show."

One of the challenges the format presents for actors is the need to produce "radio" sound effects using tools similar to what would have been available in the 1940s: a tin can in a tub of water, a typewriter, shoes, a piano, bells, whistles, etc. Gresham said there are 47 different sound effects created during the show.

"The only real challenge has been a fun one -- playing around with stuff to make the sounds," Gresham said. "My office looked like a junk shop for several days as we played around with what combination of items made for the best effect."

Gresham said he chose the radio show adaptation because, like a number of other shows during the 2009 season, it seems to fit the times:

"A man's life and business seem to be collapsing all around him at the hands of an unstoppable, greedy force. In the end, George is shown that even in the midst of tough times his life is truly 'wonderful' and worth living and that his friends and family make him a wealthy man -- a good reminder these days."

For tickets visit the website at www.lyceumtheatre.org or call 660-837-3311.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net

Related story:
Lyceum Theatre closes 2009 season with a holiday classic Nov. 14-22:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1584502.html