Guardian angel Clarence Odbody knows “No man is a failure who has friends” and, if the return of an entire original cast is proof enough, it’s clear that New Stages Theatre Company has plenty of friends.
Those friends will once again be transforming Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough into a 1940s radio studio for one week only, with six performances of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play from December 10 to 14.
The 2023 production of the play, dubbed “one of the most acclaimed” ever staged by New Stages, marked the start of a new annual tradition of holiday shows from the professional theatre company.
“This was an opportunity to start making our own tradition here,” says New Stages artistic director Mark Wallace of staging a holiday production. “We’re into year three and certainly the audiences have been really enjoying it.”
Following the success of last year’s sold-out holiday production of A Christmas Carol Comedy, starring Linda Kash as Scrooge and Kerry Griffin as every other character, New Stages decided to bring back It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play for another run.
Adapted by Joe Landry, the play retells the 1946 holiday cult classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, directed and produced by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, as a 1940s radio broadcast. An immersive production, it invites audience members into the show as the live studio audience.
Capra’s film, originally shot in black and white, follows the despondent George Bailey as he considers ending his own life on Christmas Eve, before he is visited by a guardian angel who shows him what life in Bedford Falls would be like if he had never existed. Written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling, and Capra, the screenplay is based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story “The Greatest Gift,” which itself is loosely based on the 1843 classic “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.
For Wallace, who is again directing the production as he did in 2023, it’s a film that nearly everyone, young and old, has a connection to and can learn from. He notes the universal messages about “redemption” and “the small acts in your life that you think are insignificant.”
“There’s so many ways that you can impact people and be a positive difference in people’s lives that you don’t even know, and this story magnifies the powers of those small acts that make everyday people heroes in the way they lift you up,” Wallace says. “It’s told at this time of year because there’s that spirit of giving and generosity that is tied to this overall message that life is a precious gift, and there are great gifts that you can give through your actions.”
Landry wrote his adaptation as a radio broadcast, with a small ensemble cast playing dozens of roles, after his attempt to replicate a full-scale production on stage proved too costly. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play premiered in 1996 at Stamford Centre for the Arts in Connecticut. Since then, the play has been produced around the world, including by New Stages in 2023.
Returning to the original set from the 2023 production, M. John Kennedy, Megan Murphy, Kerry Griffin, Brad Brackenridge, and Ordena Stephens-Thompson are each reprising their roles to play all of the characters in the film.
In addition to singing jingles and presenting “on-air” commercials, the actors will also be creating each of the sound effects — the crunch of the snow, the chirp of crickets, the crack of ice — in true radio show fashion.
Just as they did in 2023, the actors will be guided in sound creation by Stouffville foley artist Andy Malcolm, who has worked on top films and television series including Barbie, Dune: Part One, The Handmaid’s Tale, and more than 700 other projects.
“It’s a really fun opportunity to see behind the scenes of movie magic and explore the best things to use to make sounds,” says Wallace. “It’s a fun element because most actors don’t have to perform and make the sound effects too.”
Another returnee is music director Gabriel Vaillant, who put a score together based on popular holiday carols.
“He’s playing around with familiar songs, but he made it his own,” says Wallace. “He adds so much to it with the creative work he’s done.”
To participate in one of the most recognizable sounds of the film, audiences will be able to purchase bells before the show that they can ring when Clarence get his wings — one of many moments during the play that will invite participation from the “live studio audience.”
Joining the production’s alumni are young actors Poppy Alderson, Faela Conroy, and Evie Wallace, who will be the employees of the New York City radio station. They will be singing during the pre-show and preparing the audience for the show.
Rounding out the creative team is Korin Cormier (costume designer), Michelle Chesser (set coordination), Laurie Westaway (producer, sound effects), Victoria Wood (assistant stage manager and stagehand), Patrica Thorne (lighting and set consultant), and Tai Timbers (sound). Talfryn Quiring is the stage manager.
“You’re going to enter Bedford Falls when you enter the lobby,” says Wallace. “It’s a time where you feel a little bit lighter, and it pushes you into the holiday spirit if you weren’t already there. It’s really great to be there every day and see these masses of people who are just ready to embrace smiling and laughing and feeling elevated.”
This year, audience members can reserve their seating and are encouraged to do so soon to ensure they secure their preference.
For those who saw the play in 2023, Wallace assures New Stages has found ways to “keep adding the magic” so the show offers something new.
“I know it’s going to be a hit with this cast coming back,” he says. “I’m pretty sure we can guarantee people a good time with this one.”
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will be presented every night at 7 p.m. from Wednesday, December 10 to Saturday, December 13, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14.
With all fees included, tickets cost $44 ($24 for youth under 18) or $136 for a family of four, and there is a $34 “welcome rate” for those who need it, and a $54 “pay it forward” rate for those who can afford it (to help cover the costs of the welcome rate).
Tickets can be purchased at the Market Hall box office at 140 Charlotte Street, by calling 705-749-1146, or online at tickets.markethall.org/?category=20.
VIDEO: “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”
kawarthaNOW is proud to be media sponsor of New Stages Theatre Company’s 2025-26 season.
