Its a Wonderful Life Lancaster Opera House Reviews
Theater | Connecticut
Review: 'A Wonderful Life' an Adaptation of a Frank Capra Film
"A Wonderful Life" has wonderful leading performances, and they alone are a reason to consider visiting the Goodspeed Opera House in E Haddam to see this musical stage adaptation.
Simply keep your expectations in check. While the difficult-working cast has its moments, this show — with book and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof," "She Loves Me") and music past Joe Raposo (the "Sesame Street" theme) — is not the audition-pleasing classic that many would promise.
True, any work that uses "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) as a source has to compete with James Stewart'southward functioning, the director Frank Capra's cinematic skill and our attachment to a cultural treasure. But the screenplay's big-hearted charm and flights of imagination lend themselves well to the musical class. At least they could.
"A Wonderful Life" is the story of George Bailey (Duke Lafoon), who puts aside his dreams of travel, college and career to have on his father's business organization, the Bailey Edifice and Loan of Bedford Falls. George is a good human who has earned the town'south affection. But does that affection equal the war heroism of his higher-graduate brother (Logan James Hall)? The sheer wealth of his nemesis, Mr. Potter (Ed Dixon, a superbly menacing calculator)? The cosmopolitan life of his old friend Sam Wainwright (Josh Franklin, who has the right blend of affection and clueless entitlement)?
And has George cheated his wife, Mary (Kirsten Scott), out of a life she might have enjoyed?
Again and again, George faces the struggles that come with his Bedford Falls life, until 1 too many — ooh, that evil Mr. Potter! — brings him to the brink of suicide. It takes Clarence, an affections trying to earn his wings (the sprightly Frank Vlastnik), to convince him that his life has, indeed, been wonderful.
That's where the musical'southward best opportunity falls short. Clarence's movement from choral observer to involved participant should be a highlight, only his big number, "Wings," is a straining, dutiful try, and his scene with George afterward the suicide attempt is skimpy.
More than problematic is the "Christmas Carol"-similar sequence when Clarence shows George the bad Bedford Falls that would have developed had George non been born. It's not Mr. Vlastnik'due south error; this hurried and sour textile but has little texture, and information technology forces George into a somewhat ane-annotation agony that creates its ain difficulties to finesse.
The managing director, Michael Perlman, stages the suicide scene well, maintains heart in the first act and keeps the multi-location action moving, only he hasn't solved these challenges. As a event, the familiar and warm images of George, Mary and the children receiving the townspeople's affectionate bailout seem a shortchanged finale.
I wonder what could've come up from this musical had its composer, Mr. Raposo, not died in 1989, before long after its premiere. As information technology is, some songs are first-class evocations of George and Mary's courting and marriage ("If I Had a Wish," "Practiced Nighttime," "Not What I Expected" and "I Couldn't Exist With Anyone but You") while others (the same "Wings," Mr. Potter'southward "Get-go Class All the Fashion") injure the momentum with fill-the-slot solos. Aside from "Panic," about an early on run on the building and loan that George handles adroitly, the ensemble numbers set the period but offer little else. I'm not sure whatsoever tune will leave theatergoers bustling afterward the show.
Mr. Lafoon and Ms. Scott have chemistry, though, and are more than than able interpreters of what the material does offering. Ms. Scott finds a full graphic symbol in a Mary who could otherwise be the flat adoring wife — and, goodness, she can sing. Mr. Lafoon is outstanding: an easy, make clean and communicative vocalizer of lovely sound, and an Everyman-looking actor who gives charisma and depth to goodness. With each sideways cock of the head, he's a likably involved and involving listener, and he gives genuine bite to "Precious Little," George'south sung declaration of misery.
Because of them — and able support by the endearing Michael Medeiros as Uncle Billy, Laura E. Taylor as Violet and Kevin C. Loomis and Ryan G. Dunkin every bit the policeman Bert and the cabdriver Ernie (no doubt catnip names to a composer of "Sesame Street") — the product, in places, is pleasant or better.
Merely wonderful is a acme information technology doesn't, and probably couldn't, deserve.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/nyregion/review-a-wonderful-life-an-adaptation-of-a-frank-capra-film.html
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