It Really Is A Wonderful Life

By Joe Keefe – Metropolis Executive/Artistic Director

The intriguing title of our latest show is It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Both elements – Wonderful Life and Radio Play – seem familiar to many people but they also bear a little explanation.

It’s a Wonderful Life is, of course, the classic story of George Bailey, a small-town dreamer and family man who faces financial ruin but unknowingly turns to his guardian angel for redemption. Through a miracle of faith, George is shown what the world would be without his presence and the alternative results are pretty darn bleak. Finding his value (and maybe his soul) through the good works he had already done, George is reborn into his new and wonderful world.

So what is a “radio play”? Yes, you would be correct to assume it’s a play on the radio but it’s also much, much more than words broadcast by actors. This form of drama evokes the primary mechanisms of stagecraft: imagination, fascination and, the fundamental component of all fiction, suspension of disbelief.

In our Wonderful Life, you are immersed not only in the radio play but also the creation of the live show itself as the actors immediately transform from character to character, voice to voice with breathtaking speed. Our “Foley Table” Expert skillfully crafts live effects through the use of everyday items, blending noises and sounds the way an orchestra conductor crafts a great symphony.

This radio play is much more than simply hearing a story. You become part of the creation of the play as it weaves in front of you. George Bailey’s classic tale unfolds in a whole new way as you hear the characters come to life before your very ears. You see the interaction of the actors as they strive for each moment and you experience the urgent immediacy of every dramatic peak and valley.

Our Wonderful Life perfectly exemplifies our mission at Metropolis: a classic story told in an engaging, mesmerizing way. The first-rate cast, design and production merge into a seamless story that brings a smile while also producing a tear or two. Before the holidays come to a close, make sure to see and hear this truly Wonderful Life.