Holiday spirit thrives in Theatre's "It's a Wonderful Life"
Published on December 3rd, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - It's a wonderful time to visit Stoneham Theatre which has just kicked off its ninth annual holiday show with a stage production of Frank Capra's classic film, It's a Wonderful Life.
As it has for the past eight years, Stoneham Theatre infuses patrons with holiday spirit with a beautiful seasonal production. It's a Wonderful Life can't help but do that best this year. It is a wonderful story, with wonderful characters, that is wonderfully familiar to many, and Stoneham Theatre brings it to life beautifully on stage.
If you are looking forward to seeing actors playing some of your favorite characters from the movie classic, such as George Bailey, Uncle Billy, and Clarence Odbody, you'll be hard pressed to find them. Owen Doyle, a familiar face in Stoneham Theatre productions, is George Bailey. To clarify, on Stoneham's stage, he is not playing George Bailey, or even Jimmy Stewart. By gosh, he is George Bailey. Just as Bill Taylor is Uncle Billy and Bill Gardiner really is working hard for his wings as Clarence. The entire cast is great. Why there's greedy, old Mr. Potter, Mary Hatch (she really is lovely), Aunt Tilly, and all the rest right here in Stoneham. The production is, well, wonderful, and flows smoothly under the direction of Chris Jorie.
It's a Wonderful Life is the heartwarming story of a man, George Bailey, who is tempted to take his own life one Christmas Eve after World War II when it looks like he has come to financial ruin. Instead, his guardian angel appears and shows him what life would have been like without him in his town of Bedford Falls. Although circumstances never allowed George to follow his dreams of leaving Bedford Falls for college and beyond, he does come to see how important he has been to his community, and that the path he ended up taking has, in fact, provided him a wonderful life.
Based on the short story, "The Greatest Gift," written by Philip Van Doren, Capra's film version came out in 1947, and is what we would describe nowadays as a "feel-good movie." Despite its eventual widespread popularity, the film did not do well when it was first released to mixed reviews, and was considered somewhat of a flop. It enjoyed a revitalization in the '70's on television, and quickly became a holiday tradition in many households.
Stoneham Theatre takes no liberties with this classic. While the show is inspiring and heartwarming, it is also dark and downtrodden in the right places. You can feel the depths of George's and Uncle Billy's despair, which makes the celebratory times all the more joyous.
It's a Wonderful Life connects with the average Joe who deals with life's inevitable ups and downs. While the story is old enough to be described as classic, its ideal of community is still one to aspire to, particularly in this season of believing - believing that we can value the contribution of each individual and likewise know that our own lives are cherished by our community. Out of respect to Capra, Jorie, Doyle and the entire cast and crew of this year's holiday show at the Stoneham Theatre, maybe we can all try harder on that ideal this season.
It's a Wonderful Life, sponsored by Salem Five and The Stoneham Independent, opened on November 28 and runs through Sunday, December 21. For show times and ticket information, contact the Stoneham Theatre box office online at www.stonehamtheatre.org, by phone at (781) 279-2200, or in person at 395 Main Street, Stoneham.
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