Phil Buckle, Marc Medefind, Marit Medefind, Andrew Price and Wendy Carpenter performed all 35 roles in Playhouse Merced’s production of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ stated as a live radio broadcast.
Playhouse Merced staged the well-known holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a unique live radio broadcast in a production directed by Sandra Hay performed at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center on the weekend of Dec. 21.
It was based on Frank Capra’s film by the same name released in 1946 and based on a short story written in 1939. The film first became popular in 1954.
The plot revolves around George Bailey, a generous man who has spent his whole life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He set aside his ambitions to travel and to build skyscrapers because he inherited his father’s building and loan company and never had the opportunity to leave.
In Bedford Falls, Bailey must deal with the stress of trying to prevent a rich skinflint, Mr. Potter, from taking over the entire town.
On Christmas Eve, Bailey’s Uncle Billy loses the business’ $8,000 instead of depositing it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it.
When the bank examiner discovers the shortage, Bailey believes that he will be held accountable and possibly imprisoned, and his business will collapse.
This would result in Potter taking over the town, and it is too much to bear.
Bailey considers committing suicide, but fortunately, his loved ones had been praying for him to come through hard times, and an angel named Clarence is sent to rescue him by illustrating to Bailey how things would have been if he had never been born. Bailey eventually sees that “no man is a failure who has friends.”
In the Playhouse Merced production, five actors play all 35 roles, accompanied by sound effects created by Foley artists Jenell and Rich Barnes and Karen Damme, Stage Manager.
The Playhouse Merced production was adapted by Joe Landry, and the resulting radio show includes the dialogue from the movie.
Humor was added to the script through hilarious commercials, such as the kind produced for old-fashioned radio shows.