Review: It's A Wonderful Life, a Live Radio Play by Penfold Theatre Company
by Michael Meigs
Frank Capra's film It's A Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart captured the yearning, optimism and nostalgia for small-town U.S.A. in 1946, a time when millions of American men were returning from the war. The film made an unpromising start and was considered something of a failure in its first release, but yearly television showings of this black-and-white tale of redemption and grace set it deeply into our collective consciousness. Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed as his sweetheart, Lionel Barrymore as the wicked, grasping Old Man Potter -- in effect, reprising his role as Scrooge -- well, you've almost certainly seen the film, and if you haven't, then you should.
Stewart had debuted as a naive and gangling youngster in 1930's films but during the War he'd enlisted and eventually flown B-24 missions over Germany; and here he was, in his unassuming way, pretending to be an earnest small town savings-and-loan manager, 4-F because of a deaf ear.
Republic Pictures failed to renew the copyright on the film in the 1970's and had to struggle to re-establish control over the piece. It's not clear to me whether Joe Landry had to pay royalties when he put together this version in 1996. If not, that clerical error cost Capra's estate and others dear, for this simple staging of the story has become an adored staple of the holiday season.
Penfold Theatre did it last year at Friar Tuck's cafe in downtown Round Rock, and this year they've secured the charming but faux Rice's Crossing Country Store at the Old Settler's Association, a perfectly appropriate setting for this time trip. The Gaslight Baker Theatre in Lockhart also did it for the 2011 holidays, the Bastrop Opera House performed it in 2009 and Austin Playhouse did it in their Larry L. King Theatre in 2008. San Antonio's Classic Theatre performed the show four times last month, and KSTX Texas Public Radio in San Antonio will play a recording of the Classic Theatre version at 8 p.m. this coming Christmas eve.
I brought a friend from Arizona to Penfold's November 29 opening night, and upon his return he discovered that the show was also playing in Tucson.
Joe Landry's website lists 151 productions playing this year, ten of them -- including this one -- in Texas. He must be a very happy man.
Landry's 1996 version has some of the characteristics of Walton Jones' 1940s Radio Hour, produced in 1980 (another perennial favorite of community theatre and educational institutions). There are certainly precedents: Stewart and Reed acted in radio versions of the story in 1947 and 1949.
There are many reasons that the script works so well. The story is familiar, of course, at least to anyone with a knowledge of American film or a history of watching American television. But Landry's version works triple magic at low cost with reassuring support for the actors. The audience is recalling the black-and-white film; they're enjoying the recreation of a 1940's radio broadcast; and they're living the classic story directly through the actors right in front of them. Plus the actors are carrying their scripts with them. That's a boon for inexperienced companies, but for folks like the Penfold cast the scripts are more props than prompts.
Penfold's director Nathan Jerkins takes direct advantage of the media memories. The company has a row of microphones across the stage, and frequently actors stand behind them emoting directly out to the public -- in effect, delivering with their live and in-the-flesh enactments the equivalents of two or even three simultaneous cinematic close-ups. Ryan Crowder as our hero George Bailey is doing a Jimmy Stewart most of the time, imitating Stewart's drawl, grimaces and long upper lip -- an approach that I found unnecessary, but one that played well with the audience.
Five actors do the story's many characters. Crowder as the protagonist is set solidly as our hero. Bespectacled baritone David R. Jarrott is the show's announcer but he also does Old Man Potter, the head angel, inebriated Uncle Billy and a pile of others, once or twice even arguing with himself in different voices. Chris Gibson has just as many secondary roles, including the sincerely striving Clarence, Angel second class, while most of the time Jenni Finley is the Donna Reed character, George's sweetheart and later his wife.
There are several touching moments as Crowder and Finley -- George Bailey and Mary -- dialogue on the same microphone, Bailey as a heedless dreamer and Mary deeply fixed upon him.
They're all lively and all appear to be having a fine time. My favorite is Claire Ludwig, who played the same roles last year -- including Violet the maybe-bad girl, George's sharp-voiced mother, the canny bank examiner and ZuZu, the sweet child who's ill at Christmas but trusts George her daddy to make things better. Ludwig has deft control of intonations, accents and body English.
Movement is tightly choreographed, even though the cast makes it seem casual and effortless. The stage picture is rich and one is constantly trying to anticipate sound effects and movement. Radio ads amuse, especially when they're real ads for real supporters of Penfold such as Atmos Energy.
The Foley effects -- oops, the sound effects -- are very entertaining (though sometimes those walking sounds done with shoes on a tabletop could have been delivered with a more realistic rhythm). My friend Steve particularly appreciated the character he called "General Hubbub" (such as that of characters doing crosstalk during the rush on the bank). We both enjoyed the auto klaxon, the telephone voice effects and the rushing wind.
Penfold's It's A Wonderful Life is a charmer and a thoroughly feel-good performance, particularly recommended for the holiday season.
Give yourself a little extra time if you haven't previously visited this location at 3300 East Palm Valley Boulevard. You'll turn off Palm Valley onto Harrel Parkway and take an immediate left into a large parking area by the Old Settler's Association (just west of the Salt Lick and the Dell Diamond), then drive to the north end of the lot. On opening night the company had posted a couple of signs at the entrance to the parking lot, but they were printed on regular 8 1/2 x 11 computer paper and were all too easy to miss. We were among the first ones there and found ourselves reassuring subsequent arrivals that yes, this really was the place. The company runs a golf cart out to the parking area to make the short walk easier for those uncomfortable with traversing the dimly lit space.
EXTRAS
KXAN video segment with performance excepts, December 2
Click to view Penfold Theatre's program for It's A Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play
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It's A Wonderful Life, a Live Radio Play
by Joe Landry
Penfold Theatre Company
