November 2008
Dear Subscriber:
The early fall was full of excitement on all of our stages. From the charm of Emma on the Mainstage to the power of Evie’s Waltz in the Studio to the ripping humor and human drama of The Little Dog Laughed in the Off-Ramp series, we offered many styles and ideas to audiences from all over St. Louis. Of course, the election also brought a drama all its own.
And now, as we enter the holiday season, we bring you a gift filled with humor, joy and heartfelt emotion that the whole family will enjoy: This Wonderful Life. It is a unique adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life and is conceived by Mark Setlock and written by Steve Murray. Based on the 1946 film, Murray’s script brings the bustling little town of Bedford Falls and the touching drama of American everyman, George Bailey, to the stage. Given the enormous, albeit delayed, success of the film, a stage version seems a natural choice, but what makes Murray’s play remarkable is its cast—of one. That’s right; your favorite characters from George, Mary, Zuzu and the rest of the Baileys to Mr. Gower, Clarence, Uncle Billy and even the despicable Mr. Potter, all reside within the body and consciousness of one very gifted actor. We are so pleased that the man who conceived this piece, Mark Setlock, is going to be the solitary actor playing the entire cast of the movie. At first, this may seem like an unnecessary contrivance, a playwright’s trick, but in reality, it moves far beyond being a theatrical device to highlight the very heart of this much-loved story. By placing in the mouth and mind of a single actor the oppositions of good and evil, power and helplessness, hope and despair, and love and hate, Murray distills the very essence of Capra’s original work and in turn, the human experience. As one actor deftly moves from character to character, he pays homage to the incredible wonder of the scope of a single human life and the far-reaching potential of the individual. Jimmy Stewart, whose aw-shucks earnestness made him an endearing George Bailey in the 1946 movie, writes of the journey which connected him with Capra’s life-affirming project:
When the war was over in 1945, I came back home to California from three years’ service in the Air Force. I had been away from the film business, my MGM contract had run out, and frankly, not knowing how to get started again, I was just a little bit scared… Then one day Frank Capra phoned me. The great director had also been away in service, making the Why We Fight documentary series for the military, and he admitted to being a little frightened too. But he had a movie in mind. We met in his office to talk about it. He said the idea came from a Christmas story written by Phillip Van Doren Stern. Stern couldn’t sell the story anywhere, but he finally had 200 twenty-four page pamphlets printed up at his own expense, and he sent them to his friends as a greeting card. “Now, listen,” Frank began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed about what he was going to say. “The story starts in heaven, and it’s sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there’s a fellow who is in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and…” Frank swallowed and took a deep breath. “Well, what it boils down to is, this fellow who thinks he’s a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn’t earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can’t swim, so the guy has to save him, and then…” Frank stopped and wiped his brow. “This doesn’t tell very well, does it?” I jumped up. “Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn’t won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I’m your man!”
And to the delight of millions, Jimmy Stewart was and is that man. In fact, that can-do-makes-do attitude that gained Stewart the role resonates very strongly with the George Bailey that we all know and love. Granted, not everyone jumped on the It’s a Wonderful Life bandwagon immediately. The film enjoyed moderate success in its own time, but didn’t become a classic until its accidental copyright-free status made it a mainstay on every channel every December. Over the years, countless households have been drawn into the personal struggle of a family that could have easily been their own, headed by a man torn between adventure and duty, the exotic and the mundane, financial freedom and freedom of conscience, and individual identity and communal obligation. These multiple sets of opposition with which George must contend raise the story above what some critics would call simple sentimentality to a universal level. But it is also this noble struggle with what he wants and what he thinks he should want that makes George and his story quintessentially American. He is pushed to the brink by what so many Americans, then and now, face daily—the reconciliation of their dreams with the reality of day-to-day living. What George is provident enough to realize by the tale’s end is that these seemingly ordinary, even trifling aspects of life actually ground and empower us to accomplish a greater good. George arguably knows no greater joy than that he experiences when he discovers that Zuzu’s petals are in his pocket once again. A trifle? Certainly. Meaningless? Absolutely not! They are a tangible representation of a life well lived, not for its achieved perfection but rather for its continued willingness to do battle with the world’s inherent imperfections. This is what makes George a hero and what makes his life wonderful, even enviable. It is a pleasure to relive it with him, and the intimate nature of this production only heightens the wonder.
Martha Banta, founding artistic director of the Adirondack Theatre Festival, helped develop this play with Mark Setlock; and we’re pleased to bring them together again for this production. Scenic designer James Wolk’s versatile set transports us all around Bedford Falls as well as into the heavenly realms while Lou Bird’s costume design provides a clean palette for the show’s countless character transitions. Matt Frey and Jill BC Du Boff provide, respectively, light and sound design for George’s whirlwind journey. Together, this team builds not only a loving tribute to an icon of American film, but also, their own fresh look at the worth and power of the individual.
This time of year, and perhaps this year more than others, we are compelled to take stock of ourselves: who we are, what we’ve achieved, where we’re headed—and then to pledge (with varying degrees of sincerity) to become better, do more, dream bigger. Certainly, there is merit in this practice, value in introspection, but it sets us perpetually weighing our future against our past. The gift that This Wonderful Life brings this holiday season is the simple but invaluable luxury of the present—knowing and appreciating the scope of who and where we are now and the myriad of personal intersections that so richly fill our lives. This funny, tender, timeless perspective on the simple power of one will, no doubt, leave you full of wonder, and we look forward to sharing it with you. Of course, there’s no finer family tradition than watching a holiday classic, so bring your houseguests to Bedford Falls and take the trip of a lifetime together. Have a joyous and thrilling holiday season full of warmth and great gifts.
See you at the theatre,
Steven Woolf
Artistic Director
P.S. As 2008 comes to a close, we hope you will consider The Rep in your year-end giving. A gift to The Rep’s Tribute Fund is a thoughtful way to honor a special occasion, remember a loved one, or give a meaningful holiday gift.
New York Report: Black Watch is a startling piece of theatre being performed by the National Theatre of Scotland at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. It has been extended through the third week of December and is a unique viewing experience. Billy Elliot on Broadway is as winning as it is in London. And speaking of London, it’s never too early to think about joining us on our annual London trip in May. The exchange rate is the best it has been in years. For more information, contact Lori Moore-McMullen in our Development Department.