LIMA — “It’s a Wonderful Life” seems like a no-brainer of a choice for the holiday production of the Encore Theatre. It’s a holiday classic — a well-known, well-loved story and ‘tis the season for heartwarming tales.
But that’s just it. Most of us already know the story, or at least the gist of it: Man wishes he’d never been born, angel grants wish, man realizes life is indeed wonderful. Ding dong, a bell rings and the angel gets his wings. The end.
We can rent the movie, if we don’t already own it, or it’s probably trending on Netflix at this very moment. And some cable channel will certainly play it at least twice between now and Christmas.
So if we can catch the movie practically anytime we want, why go see the stage version?
Because the folks at Encore who make the choices of what to produce know what they’re doing. Because despite this familiar tale, they knew that the stage would set it apart from the movie, and make it unique.
We might know the story — that George will see the light and when the bell rings, Clarence will get his angel wings — but there’s something about sitting in a theater with live actors on a stage and an audience that adds another dimension to the story. It’s not just a movie. It becomes this shared experience with others and all that heartwarming goodwill pouring off the stage makes it all the more … well, Christmassy.
The holidays are meant to be shared, and the theater brings people, these mostly strangers, together for a dose of positive vibes. There’s an energy you get from live theater with a packed audience that a television just can’t compete with. Under the right circumstances real people acting on a stage trumps high definition every time.
So kudos to Encore, both in its choice of show and the performances given. In the movie, Jimmy Stewart left big shoes to fill with the character of George Bailey, but Dan Hirn slips into them with ease. He balanced George’s compassion for friends and family with his frustration over the roads not taken.
Jeff Kerr was affable as the angel Clarence Odbody working so hard to earn those wings. We might have known he was going to get them in the end, but Kerr made us root for him anyway.
Ambyr Rose played George’s wife, Mary Hatch Bailey, with a sweet charm and Gene Craft deserves recognition for the anxious and lovable Uncle Billy. Ben Hodges gave Harry Bailey, George’s younger brother, energy and enthusiasm. Other main cast members include Ashley Shank as Violet Peterson, Barbara Hochstetler as Aunt Tilly, and Julie Kerr as Mother Bailey.
But wait — we can’t forget the villain, Mr. Henry F. Potter. There would be no show without his treacherous ways. George would not have been pushed to the brink and there would have been no need for the angel or the story. Potter was bent on taking over the town and leaving George in bankruptcy, the cad. Mark Hodges played the scoundrel like a mashup of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch and The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns. It might sound over-the-top, but it actually worked. You’re a mean one, Mr. Hodges. Good job.
So while Encore’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” might have been a story we all know, it was good to see it in a different way, on the stage, with live actors and an audience. A different take on the classic, with all the heartwarming feel-goodness of the movie but with that added special element of the shared experience.
And maybe that’s what we need more of this holiday season — more of those shared experiences with other human beings and less television. It might, like George, remind us that life is about the people we share it with and that it is indeed wonderful. Sorry, Netflix, maybe another time.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is 2 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Dec. 6. For tickets and details, visit http://www.amiltellers.org/ or call 419-223-8866.
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