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'Wonderful Life' is retold singularly
(by Joan Demirjian - December 15, 2010)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
'Wonderful Life' is retold singularly
When James Leaming strolls onto the Drury Theatre stage at the Cleveland Play House, he appears to be the stage manager making sure the sound and lighting effects are all in working order. He actually is the stage manager, but he is also all the characters in "This Wonderful Life," a retelling of Frank Capra's classic film, "It's a Wonderful Life."
For those who never saw the movie version, this one-man narrative could prove to be a bit of a bore. The rest of us, which is most everyone, are sure to delight in playwright Steve Murray's combination of narrative and play, both squeezed together in an hour and a half.
Though Mr. Leaming talks in Jimmy Stewart's crackling voice on occasion, he never does an imitation. He completely overlooks Lionel Barrymore's acting as the greedy Mr. Potter. Somehow, though, he comes close enough to both to remind you of the movie.
The set is a hodgepodge of rolling tables and chairs and a giant metal contraption that waits patiently for George to climb up and dive into the river and save Clarence, the angel who takes George through the life he never led.
Mr. Murray leaves little out from the movie.
George Bailey longs to leave Bedford Falls and go off to college. His father's death and a run on Bailey's Building and Loan keeps him there.
He marries the Donna Reed character, Mary, and does a dreadful imitation of her. While our narrator does an excellent job impersonating the men, he's a disaster when trying to sound like women.
But it doesn't damage the play, which really isn't a play at all. It's more like a retelling of the movie.
Our narrator appears in a tan suit and never changes costumes. Stars appear in the sky over the stage with their own voices. Actually, all the voices belong to Mr. Leaming.
What makes the play so appealing is how much it grows on you. The early portions are rather slow as George intends to leave town only to be forced to stay. But just as in the movie, the plot thickens, and, though it's obvious that all of Bedford Falls will turn out to save the Building and Loan, you can actually imagine a stage full of people.
Whether a coincidence or not, Mr. Potter's intent to take over the Building and Loan has a certain familiar ring as big banks today remind us of old Mr. Potter.
What "This Wonderful Life" does is practically leer you out to find a copy of the old movie just to experience the film one more time.
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