ALT’s celebration of ‘life’
Production follows the scenes of Oscarnominated film
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is the American “Christmas Carol.”
Subjected to middling reviews when the 1946 film first opened, today the movie is an annual tradition.
The Albuquerque Little Theatre will perform the stage version of the Christmas classic beginning Thursday, Nov. 30.
“I’ve wanted to do it for some time,” director James Cady said. “It’s magical. It touches my heart.”
The saga of George Bailey, the Everyman from Bedford Falls, whose dreams are quashed by family obligation and civic duty, opened to weak critical response upon its first release.
Even the FBI turned critic. In 1947 it issued a memo stating: “... the film represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a ‘Scrooge-type’ so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This ... is a common trick used by Communists.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” was nominated for five Academy Awards and is recognized as one of the 100 best American movies ever made by the American Film Institute.
The play closely follows the film’s 31 scenes, Cady said. Thirty-four actors will play 70 roles.
“It’s very cinematic,” he said.
A guardian angel descends on the suicidal George to reveal to him what life would have been like had he never been born.
“Then he finds (his) effect on other people,” Cady said. “Uncle Billy goes to an insane asylum. Mr. Gower (the druggist) becomes a drunk. Harry Bailey (George’s brother) dies at an early age because George is not around to save him.”
“It’s the importance of one man’s life to another human being,” Cady added. “Everybody has somebody that says something and they turned a corner in life. It’s a celebration of life.”