Review: Larry Alexander Earns His Wings in THIS WONDERFUL LIFE at Stageworks

There are certain movies guaranteed to make you weep. For my tastes, if you add a dog to the mix--Old Yeller, for example--you'll shed enough tears to last a lifetime. When I first saw Marley and Me, the woman behind me almost had to be escorted out of the theatre for her loud, hysterical crying. But not every weepie needs to have a dog in it. Take Schindler's List, when the young lady in front of me had to be comforted throughout it by her friends and her sobbing became so explosive that I couldn't hear the motion picture. (Having constant aftershocks from the 1994 Northridge quake, one of which stopped the Spielberg film momentarily, didn't help either.) The Notebook, Terms of Endearment, Bambi...there are too many films to mention that make us cry.

It's a Wonderful Life, the 1946 Frank Capra classic starring Jimmy Stewart, makes me cry right from the start. But it's not sad crying (like Marley and Me); the tears erupt from the uplifting of the heart. The moment that really gets me, though, is after Jimmy Stewart visits Pottersville with his wingless angel, Clarence, and he's alone on the bridge, praying, and suddenly, silently the snow falls behind him. It's such a gorgeous moment, and I baby-blubber from that point all the way to the very end, when Jimmy Stewart gives a wink to the newly-winged Clarence and sings along with a joyous "Auld Lang Syne."

If you're lacking some Christmas cheer this year, then venture over to Stageworks to watch the brilliant Larry Alexander deliver a tour de force in his one man re-creation of It's a Wonderful Life, called quite simply THIS WONDERFUL LIFE by Steve Murray. You'll laugh a lot, but don't worry, you'll shed a tear or two as well.

In roughly 75 minutes, Alexander portrays all of the characters in the movie, those denizens of Bedford Falls that we know as well as our own families, from the Ultra-Scrooge Mr. Potter to the absent-minded Uncle Billy, from "Hee-hawing" Sam Wainwright to the young, innocent Zuzu Bailey (whose flower petals eventually wind up in her father's pockets). Alexander's take on George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart role, is spot on, even though it is not a mere Rich Little impression of Jimmy Stewart. It's so much richer. It's a one-man impression of an everyman, an angel and a town where no one, save for George, provides any force against the evil Darth Potter empire.

Alexander is so ingratiating, entertaining, hilarious and heartfelt that the time flies by. This is one fast play; it just may be the breeziest, most entertaining show you can imagine. We are transported to another place, another time and, yes, another movie. And it deepens, not cheapens, our love of the original.

Alexander, onstage the whole time, gets the ultimate actor's workout. And it's an incredible sight to behold, an actor giving his all and making each character exact, sometimes with something as simple as a mere pipe (for George's dad) or a hat separating the who's who of Bedford Falls. And you haven't lived until you've seen the kiss between George and Mary delivered by one man onstage.

Alexander breaks the fourth wall constantly, and he's so damned likable and beloved by the audience, that he could get away with almost anything. And he does. Only twice did I feel that he overstepped his bounds and should have let the story speak for itself. Throughout the proceedings, various pop culture references pop up--from Casablanca to Star Wars. However, near the end, when we are taken away with the storyline and don't want it interrupted, Alexander throws in a movie reference joke or two. The audience loved when it happened, laughing up a storm, but as we neared the touching climax, I felt that the references and interruptions briefly took me away from the story at hand.

I also miss one of my favorite scenes from the movie: Nick the Bartender ringing the cash register bell over and over again after Clarence and George are thrown out of the bar. "I'm givin' out wings!" he says jokingly. Nick is in the stage version, as he must be, but that little moment is sadly not mentioned here.

As astounding as Alexander is, I did disagree with his reading of one line; interestingly enough, it occurs during that moment that always makes me cry: George on the bridge, praying, and the snow silently falls. In the movie, when he says, "Please God," it's so quiet, so real, that I just can't stop the tears from flowing. The snow comes on--a frozen baptism of sorts--and it just gets me every time. But in the stage version, Alexander exclaims "please God" at the top of his lungs, like he's cheering for the Gators or something, and the moment loses its magic. I miss the quiet sadness, the desperation, the giving up and the giving in at the same time. Though I couldn't stop the inevitable tears at the end of the stage version, I didn't cry at this important part of the story. I guess this is an issue. Alexander must make this show and its characters his own, and yet, the whole thing is a reference to a movie that we have all seen, so how can he actually make it his own? It's a quandary. Nowhere else did this call attention to itself like this moment--my favorite in the whole movie. And maybe because it's my favorite do I point this out.

I'm curious what someone who has never seen It's a Wonderful Life thinks of THIS WONDERFUL LIFE? Would they enjoy it as well as we Wonderful Lifers do, or will they be totally lost?

The show is deftly guided by director Karla Hartley, who made sure that each of the dozens and dozens of characters that Alexander portrays has a very distinct personality. Scott Cooper's set looks like a hobby shop with various Bedford Falls miniature buildings; it's appropriately minimal, and gives Alexander the space to create his magic. Jo Averill-Snell's lighting is seamless, and thankfully the names of the different locations even pop up on a screen (as do images from the movie). Hartley's sound design works well, though I wondered why there were so many (Alexander-spoken) voice-overs thrown in instead of the actor doing them live.

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE is a wonderful show. It immediately plunged me into the Christmas spirit, and rarely have I seen an audience enjoy a play so much. It's the perfect holiday gift, beautifully gift-wrapped and lovingly delivered by Larry Alexander, who has definitely earned his wings.

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE plays until December 20th. For tickets, please call (813) 374-2416.

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