Group offers a Lyons-centric radio play of “It’s a Wonderful Life”
If you’ve heard the jingle of a bell at some point over the past couple of weeks (which is virtually inevitable in November and December), chances are that famous quote from Frank Capra’s 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” popped into your head: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
The immortal phrase, uttered by the tiny and adorable character Zuzu Bailey has gone down as one of the most universally favorited (and most universally sobbed to) Christmas movie quotes of all time.
But not for Longmont resident and up-and- coming theater star Roy Marcus. Marcus’ favorite line from “It’s a Wonderful Life” is spoken by the villain of the story: The robber baron Mr. Henry Potter.
“I’m on a very tight schedule. I’ve a family to evict at 3,” Potter famously grumbles as he complains about his agenda for the day.
That’s Marcus’ favorite quote that he gets to deliver onstage when he portrays Mr. Potter at Lyons Community Theater’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Dec. 15 and 16.
“That line is just so, so good,” Marcus said. “I absolutely love it, and I’ve been playing with different ways to say that line and make sure that the delivery is perfect so that audiences know this man is unmitigatedly evil. He’s genuinely looking forward to evicting this family at 3 p.m.”
Marcus, who spends his days working as a brand ambassador for a luxury tile company, was pleasantly surprised to be cast as Potter after initially trying out for some smaller parts at Lyons Community Theater’s open casting call this fall.
“Having just moved to Longmont, I was hoping to find a way to take part in and become part of the larger community,” Marcus said. “I had been through Lyons a couple of times and fell in love with it — so when I saw the announcement that Lyons Community Theater was looking for actors, I knew I had to audition.”
Marcus is an extremely pleasant, jocular bloke who seems to have more in common with the endearing guardian angel Clarence than the formidable Mr. Potter — the characterization of which, according to Marcus, will put all of his acting skills to the test.
“Relating to Mr. Potter is definitely a stretch for me,” he said.
Although Marcus, a New York City native who moved to Longmont in September, isn’t technically a professional actor — his last time on stage was nearly 50 years ago — his day job has placed him in front of a crowd and tested his performance skills many times.
“If you like an acting challenge, and I definitely do, then this is the part for you,” Marcus said. “It’s been very interesting, and it’s made me respect the acting trade so much more. Acting isn’t easy, and nobody goes up on stage to give a bad performance. They’re usually trying their damnedest, and giving it their all, which is what I’m having to do.”
Lyons Community Theater — which, like Marcus, is new to the area — was founded a little more than a year ago by husbandand-wife duo Wendy and Barney Dreistadt and their friend Patty Mcnichol after the trio realized there was a real need for performing arts in the town of Lyons.
“There’s some music here in Lyons, but when you take that away, there isn’t much here in the way of performing arts,” said Mcnichol. “However, there’s so much talent here, and a real spirit to create.”
Mcnichol said she’s not an actor, nor has she had anything to do with theater throughout her life.
“I wanted to build community, and that’s what our real purpose at Lyons Community Theater is,” Mcnichol said.
The group’s first production, “Radio Plays: Burns and Allen & Dragnet” premiered in October 2022 at the Lyons Library and featured a handful of participants — some that Mcnichol had to call and recruit herself. Next weekend, according to Mcnichol, more than 30 cast members will take the stage for “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“Our first couple of shows got such a great response from our community that we were encouraged to do something else,” Mcnichol said.
“We wanted to do something for the holiday season, but when we set out to do ‘ It’s a Wonderful Life,’ we had to decide between casting a few people to play multiple roles or finding enough people to fill every individual role, since the cast calls for so many roles.”
Mcnichol said the community theater group decided to go with a larger cast so more locals could be involved.
“When people come to the theater as an actor or a wannabe actor or just a participant, there’s a vulnerability there that builds a kind of intimacy between cast members,” she said. “This intimacy brings about camaraderie, and the feeling at the end of production is so exhilarating, and it eventually brings about friendship. And that friendship turns into community.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” will be presented as a radio play, bringing the 1940s holiday nostalgia in full force. The diverse cast of actors — which includes amateurs, some professionals, and a fair number of youngsters — will portray the characters in the story using their voices and facial expressions. While the show won’t be transmitted over the actual airwaves, the audience will be transported back to a time when families would huddle together around the radio for a bit of Saturday night entertainment.
Radio plays are an easy way for a community theater group to put on a production without having to assemble large set pieces on a stage.
And although radio dramas often rely heavily on acoustic performance, Lyons Community Theater’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” will include a very special Lyons- centric visual component.
“We wanted to add another element to the production,” Mcnichols said. “So behind the actors, we’re going to have a movie screen. Every time there’s a change of scene in the script, the screen behind them will change, reflecting that different location in a local setting. For example, one scene is set in a bank, and that screen will flip to a bank in Lyons.”
The production also will include some audible surprises for audiences. Just like on radio shows in the days of yore, the show will include festive radio jingles advertising local businesses.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” will take the stage at the Wildf lower Pavilion at Planet Bluegrass, in the heart of Lyons at 500 W. Main St. The stage is set for two showings — one at 7 p.m. Dec. 15, complete with a special preshow musical treat from 6:306:45 p.m., and another at 2 p.m. Dec. 16.
For information and tickets, visit sites.google. com/view/lyonscommunitytheater/home.