BWW Reviews: Dramatic License Productions Presents Heartwarming THIS WONDERFUL LIFE

The classic film It's a Wonderful Life is brought to the stage by Dramatic License Productions in a unique presentation, re-imagined as This Wonderful Life, and finding one actor taking on all the roles. Mark Setlock and Steve Murray's adaptation condenses 130 minutes of screen time into 75 minutes of pure fun. It's a tremendous undertaking with the wealth of diverse characters that parade through this venerable work based on Philip Van Doren Stern's story "The Greatest Gift", and actor/director Alan Knoll is more than up to challenge.

Film director Frank Capra and a team of screenwriters shaped the movie version into something that's inadvertently become a holiday staple. Frequent television airings, and the appearance of cheap copies that came out on videotape and DVD during the 80's and 90's, when it became a public domain title after the copyright was allowed to lapse, have ensured that a larger amount of people have been exposed to its charms in recent years than those who saw it when it was first released.

Essentially the story of a selfless man named George Bailey, who never realizes his dreams to travel the world because he's too busy coming to the rescue of everyone else. But, he finds true happiness in the generosity of his large circle of family and friends. If you've never seen the movie before it really doesn't matter since the story is easy to follow, with the script including plenty of asides and commentary to better explain the motivations and situations the characters are dealing with. In the end this approach allows for a deeper and finer understanding of just how noble these folks are.

Alan Knoll delivers a marvelous performance, and his interpretations of each character show his affection for the source material. His George Bailey has the halting cadence and "aw shucks" demeanor of Jimmy Stewart's original portrayal, and his take on the evil Mr. Potter conjures up the twisted image presented on screen by Lionel Barrymore. And, I think he absolutely nails Henry Travers as Clarence, the angel who's sent down to earn his wings by showing George what life would have been like in Bedford Falls if he had never been born.

Knoll's direction keeps the action moving along at a brisk pace, and his natural comedic talents are a certain guarantee of laughter, but it's his sensitive touch with the dramatic material that really sells the piece. Ian Stoutenburgh's simple, but effective, set design neatly divides the stage into several little areas and locales, and his lighting scheme act to complement and enhance what's happening on stage. Bobby Miller's sound design is smartly conceived and executed.

Dramatic License Productions has put together a warm and rewarding production of This Wonderful Life, and it continues through December 19, 2010 in their space in the Artopolis at Chesterfield Mall.

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