Familiar story told in wonderful way
Performing It’s A Wonderful Life at Christmas, in any format, would seem a guarantee of success.
That was certainly the case on Saturday when No Nonsense Productions brought their radio stage play version of the Frank Capra’s 1946 cinema classic to the Tolbooth.
This production, also set in the 1940s, was actors playing actors performing the piece for supposed radio broadcast in front of a studio audience in New York.
It was cleverly done with the cast of six playing multiple roles, performing Christmas tunes and even dropping in authenticsounding adverts for Lucky Strike cigarettes.
Before the production went ‘on air’, the audience was instructed by producer and special effects man Kevin Jannetts how to clap in double time for the benefit of the ‘listeners’.
And Ian Sommerville asked the audience if there was a‘Mrs Trump’ among us, as a“small red-haired boy”of that name had turned up lost in another part of the building. Sadly, even at Christmas, there were no takers for The Donald.
The story is of course familiar but was brought to life with Kieran Francis Begley as central character George Bailey. Ian Sommerville skilfully played the roles of both Clarence, the angel sent to help George, and that of evil capitalist Mr Potter who plots to destroy George’s Savings and Loan company.
Estrid Barton was wonderfully over-the-top in her radio actor persona while Stewart Phillips played around 14 characters including George’s brother Harry and young son Petey.
Ceri-Lynn Cissone combined roles of George’s wife Mary and Bedford Falls floozie Violet Bick with providing the musical accompaniment for the show. The high-pitched voice she used for Violet was not far from being audible only to dogs.
Leona McGilligan was the voice of, among others, George’s youngest daughter Zuzu. And the whole cast were outstanding in bringing to life the scenes such as the one set in the crowded Savings and Loan when the townsfolk, fearing a run of the bank, were jostling to withdraw their cash.
There should also be a mention of producer Kevin Jannetts who laid on the special effects. Performers spoke into crushed whisky bottle packaging to mimic the sound on the phone while the rapid opening and closing of a brolly and squawks from Kevin was a substitute for Uncle Billy’s pet raven Jimmy.
All the performers are to be congratulated for breathing life into a production which in other, less able hands could have fallen flat. As Sam Wainwright would say: ‘Hee-Haw’.