Putting a new spin on a 'Wonderful' tradition
One-man adaptation of classic Christmas tale to open today
The holiday season is full of tradition and this year Perseverance Theatre is putting a new twist on a contemporary Christmas custom with its production of "This Wonderful Life."
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The one-man play, which opens tonight in the Thunder Mountain High School auditorium, is an adaptation of the 1946 classic Christmas tale "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart as the troubled George Bailey on Christmas Eve in fictional Bedford Falls, Conn. The film, which is traditionally seen in countless homes each holiday season, tells the story of Bailey as a suicidal man who is sent a guardian angel in his time of need.
"It's just a great story about a man that pulls his life back together because his family and friends are there for him," said Art Rotch, artistic director for Perseverance Theatre. "Bedford Falls is a small fictional community about the size of Juneau and it's a story that could easily happen here, probably is happening here even now, and that's a wonderful thing to think about."
The play shows at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday in the TMHS auditorium. There will also be matinees at 2 p.m. in the auditorium on Saturday and Sunday.
Rotch said the theater was looking for a low-key holiday project it could produce that could also highlight the talents of longtime Perseverance actor Ed Christian.
"He's been a stalwart and he's a terrific actor," Rotch said of Christian, who has been acting with the local theater company since the early 1980s. "I thought it was something that he would do really well. He has the kind of quality on stage that is very George Bailey-like."
Christian, who has never acted in one-man play before, said he is excited to bring the numerous characters from such a classic story to the stage.
"This movie is beloved, really, in America," he said. "There are many, many people who just love this movie, and I would count myself among them."
The play, conceived by Mark Setlock and written by Steve Murray, premiered in Portland, Ore. in 2005.
"This is a story with a real heart and I think it's going to be an interesting ... to experience it in a very unusual way as told by one person," Christian said.
When reading the script Christian was struck with the voice of the original work that comes out and was intrigued with playing so many well-known roles.
"It's a movie that many people have affinities for particular parts in it," he said. "It's a movie that continues to be heartwarming in many places. It's a celebration of the value of an ordinary life."
While the play has a contemporary twist to it, Christian felt a connection with Bailey because the fictional character played by Stewart in the movie would have been roughly the same age as his father.
"He is a man of a generation that I understand," Christian said. "He is the age of my parents and he lives in a world that I know about through hearing stories of my parents. So for me it's a personal enjoyment of this kind of man."
But Bailey has his flaws, which are apparent in the stage production, he adds. Some of the character's responses to the adversity that he faces throughout the story could be considered inappropriate, Christian said.
"It's his humanity and the way that he rises above his adversity and he accepts his consequences of his circumstances. I just find that compelling," he said. "He comes to an appreciation of the value of his own life, which in some ways is a mundane life."
The play is directed by Tim Hyland, and includes lighting design by Jeff Rogers, costume design and stage management by Caroline Samp and sound design by Rory Stitt. It will be the first production the theater company has ever produced in the new TMHS auditorium.
"I'm very curious how the theater-going audience feels about seeing shows in the valley and whether it's something we should keep doing," Rotch said. "The venue is lovely."
The play is basically a good holiday story about a good man, Christian said.
"A lot of his hopes and his dreams are dashed, and yet he is a good man and he raises a family and has a good wife and a good marriage," he said. "He comes to value his place in the community and the positive change that he's made on the world he lives in. So it ends up being a very human story, a very hopeful story."
• Contact reporter Eric Morrison at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.