“It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” gets Gamm Theatre audience members into the Christmas spirit. PHOTO CREDIT: gammtheatre.org
The stage of The Gamm Theatre in Warwick has been transformed into the fictional WGAM radio station studio for performances of “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.”
The production opened on Nov. 26 and will run through Christmas Eve. The moment you enter the theatre, you’re no longer a typical audience member, but a part of the show as the “studio audience.” The actors are so convincing, playing characters set in the mid-20th century even when they’re using their own names, that it’s easy to believe that the show is actually being broadcast live across New England.
With Christmas carol sing-alongs, the Gamm gets the audience members involved before the play even begins. Announcer, music director and the voice of little Zuzu Bailey, University of Rhode Island alumna Emily Turtle ’18, encourages everyone to laugh, cry and applaud to their heart’s desire. The set even had “applause” signs that would light up when appropriate to add to the atmosphere.
“It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of the most popular holiday narratives, but it’s not just the story that makes this production such a joy. The format of a live radio play allows attendees to appreciate the technical work that goes into making a theatrical production.
The cast is onstage the entire time, active even when they’re not speaking into the vintage microphones, sitting on the couch, flipping the pages of their scripts and sipping water, sometimes reacting to the story as if they’ve never heard it before. Along with the cast is the foley artist, DJ Potter. Potter is on stage creating any and all sound effects live, from the sound of characters’ walking to the breaking of glass. The actors don’t have props and, by the nature of radio, the focus is more on the auditory experience. Yet, you never feel like you’re missing something due to the commitment from everyone onstage. Stage manager Robin Grady is also visible in the booth and Turtle plays the piano throughout, creating both diegetic music and providing underscoring.
The actors also showed great range and versatility through their voice work. Gamm Artistic Director and URI acting instructor Tony Estrella is the only of the seven actors who voices only one character, but his journey from 12-year-old George Bailey to a man going through an emotional breakdown is just as impressive as the work of everyone else. Jeff Church, also an acting instructor at URI, shifts effortlessly between the suave Harry Bailey, his more nasally, nerdy characters and the mobster-sounding abrasive bar owner.
It might sound strange on paper to know that Lynsey Ford plays both George’s mother and love interest, but she embodies them both so well, that even when she’s playing them with back-to-back dialogue, it is never off putting. Richard Noble shows his years of experience as the (literally) heavenly narrator and Uncle Billy Bailey among others, while Helena Tafuri hilariously can go from seductive Violet to young Janie Bailey. Turtle, along with her musical talents, delivers a performance as baby Zuzu Bailey so effectively, it’s hard to believe that there’s not a toddler prerecording her lines.
Perhaps the most impressive shifts come from Fred Sullivan Jr., who is equally convincing as naive second-class angel Clarence and manipulative businessman Henry F. Potter. He has you end up rooting for Clarence to earn his wings as much as you root against Potter and his pesky schemes.
However, the most heartwarming moments arguably don’t even come from the lines of the script. Before the show began, audience members had the option to address “instant messages” to whoever they pleased, which were then read out at “commercial breaks.”
If you’re looking for a way to escape the winter chills and embrace the holiday spirit, The Gamm Theatre is the perfect place to go. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit gammtheatre.org.