"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" WONDERFUL AT HARTFORD STAGE

What would the holidays be without a visit to Bedford Falls, New York to watch George Bailey realize what an impact his life holds for everyone in his community. Without George, so many tragedies would have occurred and so many joys would never have happened. George Bailey is, undoubtedly, the reluctant iconic hero of one of the season’s most beloved stories. Whether you have known George Bailey for decades or you are a brand new acquaintance, Hartford Stage’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show” is filled with care and affection, thanks to its adaptation by playwright Joe Landry. Until Saturday, December 24, you are invited to follow in George’s footsteps as he walks through his life in Bedford Falls, an ordinary existence that he himself might describe as dull and without definition. Created as a 1940’s radio show, on Station WBFR, for Playhouse on the Air, the story by Philip Van Doren was originally a Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart. Here a troupe of talented actors – Price Waldman, Evan Zes, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Nicole Shalhoub and Jennifer Bareilles- play multiple roles as they recreate George’s life, up to the moment when he decides it isn’t worth living and the world would be better off if he had never been born. While Ebenezer Scrooge has his three ghostly visitations on Christmas Eve, George is blessed with only one: Clarence, an apprentice angel who is more than two centuries old and has yet to earn his wings. The hard working and dependable George, who saves his brother Harry from drowning, stops a pharmacist from dispensing a prescription with poison, stands up to the town’s tyrant, Mr Potter, helps a community live in homes rather than shacks and marries a fine woman Mary and raises three children, learns that he is not a failure in life and that he has friends who bless him. Director Zoe Golub-Sass creates a compassionate atmosphere on stage, where the terrific sound effects by Foley Artist Liam Bellman-Sharpe are like another character. There are even commercials for places like G. Fox Department Store to add realism to the production. For tickets ($30 and up), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at www.HartfordStage.org. Performances are Tuesday to Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Let your imagination soar as you listen to this tale of redemption and what it means to live a life of purpose, and if you pay close attention you may hear a bell ring as Clarence finally earns his wings.