Five. Four. Three. Two. One. . .
. . . and we are ON the air!
A birthday gift from Tom was tickets to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. Last year, we saw a screening of the movie at the historic Tivoli Theater on my birthday, which was a treat for this fan beyond measure, until Saturday night, that is.
This was a live production. A play. A radio production inside a play, that is.
What fun it was to be in the audience as actors performed a radio broadcast of one of my most favorite holiday stories. I can’t begin to expound on the talents of the actors. They sang and they danced. They played multiple parts and worked the sound effects in between.
The station manager was also the radio announcer as well as the despicable Henry Potter, the angel Joseph, and even Nick the bartender.
The pianist extraordinaire acted as Uncle Billy, Mr. Gower, and the celestial Clarence, the angel who saves George Bailey. He also gave voice to a host of others, sometimes jumping from one character to another while playing the piano.
Violet was as sassy a the movie character and she was Ma Bailey without missing a beat.
Mary Hatch and George Bailey. Well, I can’t say enough good things about the actors who played them, flawlessly. I smiled when they smiled and I cried when they cried. Just when I thought I couldn’t enjoy “It’s a Wonderful Life” more, I did.
I thought about the play and about radio programs on our long ride home last night. I thought about my favorite Saturday pastime of listening to Garrison Keillor on “The Prairie Home Companion”, anticipating Keillor’s imminent retirement in 2013. It is not just the end of his show that I thought about, but the idea of radio shows and the part they played in our national and international character for decades. The radio dramas that played in everyday family lives.
Tom recalled his grandparents tuning in to soap operas in their Ohio farming community each day. My mom did the same ironing in the kitchen. My dad loved the suspense of “The Shadow” and my Uncle Joe tried to talk me into naming my Pinto the “green hornet”.
Well, I digress, as I often do. Wandering and wondering – and filled with contentment at an evening well acted.
(Thanks, Tom, for the present.)
That Tom ! He is quite a guy. What a thoughtful present. Making memories is so special and often better than getting more stuff. It’s a Wonderful Life is a story with such a wonderful message of hope and the message that every life is special and God has a plan for everyone. Now I digress. Thanks Tom for giving my Kindred Spirit such a nice gift.
LikeLike
He is, isn’t he, Janet? I think I’ll keep him. I will pass your message on to him, indeed, and, yes, it is such a wonderful story of life and God’s plan. I’ve seen it so many times I can recite most of the lines. Still and all, it was a great treat to see this production and we both enjoyed it immensely.
LikeLike
What fun! I too enjoy radio and am a fan of Garrison Keillor. Am in a rush now, packing up to go on holiday tomorrow.
LikeLike
Garrison Keillor is an American treasure, Juliet, and I’m so pleased you get to hear him there. I hope your packing went well and you have a good holiday.
LikeLike
I think this must indeed have been so enjoyable! Live performance AND It’s a Wonderful Life! What a special treat for both you and Tom. I think you are so right, too, about the radio treasures of the past. I actually often think about this. I can remember riding in the car as a little girl and listening to Jack Benny. My parents talked a lot about some of the radio shows they enjoyed as children and I think because I have always enjoyed listening to stories I was fascinated. I love Garrison Keillor, too, and see him as a national treasure. Thanks for sharing your radio-play experience with us. I am always so thrilled to hear of performances like this, and to also hear that they attract a good audience. Debra
LikeLike
It was the best combination, Debra. Oh, I remember listening to Jack Benny as well. I hadn’t thought of it until your mention here.Thank you. Garrison Keillor is a national treasure. You are so right. This was a delightful gift for me to receive and an equally delightful memory for both of us and got us more into the holiday spirit as well.
LikeLike
How fun! Glad you enjoyed it so much.
LikeLike
As it ended, we both thought aloud “Jennifer and Jason would like this”. It was wonderful!
LikeLike
I too love a night at the theatre; yours seems to have been particularly successful.
LikeLike
It was delightful, Friko. I’m so lucky to have been able to see this.
LikeLike
Penny, what a treat! You must have been so excited! It sounds as though it was an unparalleled evening: and what a pianist! Amazing!
So glad you had a birthday treat to remember.
LikeLike
It was great fun, Kate. As I wrote this, I thought of you and Phil and how you enjoy listening to books on audio. It is an entirely different experience, isn’t it?
LikeLike
Such a lovely birthday gift, Penny!
There are not many live theater options in our neck of the woods, and I’ve always pooh-poohed the thought of listening to books on audio, thinking that I preferred to have the actual book in hand.
However, reading the various comments and your responses just now, I might have to reconsider. (I STILL would not listen to one in the car, for fear I’d miss something vital — if it were something in the tale, I could always listen again; but if it were a traffic matter, it might be disastrous!) Remembering though, how much time I spent listening to the radio when I was young (no TV during my earliest years), I might relate audio books to that time, and actually enjoy the experience, who knows? Maybe I’ll see what’s on audio row at the library. 🙂
LikeLike
This was actually done by a regional theater troupe, Karen, and they were fabulous.
I prefer to have book in hand as well, however, when making the long trek alone up to MN, I try to get audio books to pass the time. You are right. You can always rewind a tape, but, not an accident.
Check out the audios at the library. They may have old time radio shows to listen to. I’ve done this and it is quite pleasurable to have on while cleaning, cooking, or sipping something warm on a snowy day. The stories are shorter, or in serial form, which is such fun.
LikeLike
How fun is that! We saw a play done as a radio show once and loved it, but it was as I remember a made-up drama, not a real one that we already knew. But it was fun watching the sound effects and character jumping etc. Seeing ‘wonderful Life” would be much more fun.
I listen to Garrison every chance I get. . Lots of radio memories and you make me feel old (because, like your dad, I listened to and loved ‘the Shadow”…
LikeLike
Character jumping. That’s exactly what it was. Isn’t it fun to watch and it takes you right into the storyline? I was intrigued by how they made the plopping sound of falling into water (the river in the scene where George saves his brother). There was a barrel of water on the set and the propster (is that a word?) pushed an empty bucket into the water and pulled it up so the water dropped out, sounding like falling into water). It was so much fun.
Me too! They leave so much to the imagination, don’t they Sallie? (only the shadow knows . . . )
LikeLike
We talked about this in the coffee shop several days ago, great review Penny! Kate’s boyfriend played “George Bailey” in a Chicago production of this radio show version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and like you, I was surprised to be so entertained by another version of a great movie I’ve probably watched at least 50 times in my life!
LikeLike
On Christmas Day night, as we were eating our dinner, about six o’clock, Jason remembered that WBEZ was going to do a radio production from a play of “It’s A Wonderful Life”. We listened in between the lively conversation that accompanies our dinners. I mention it because they said it was recorded at a Chicago production in 2009. I mentioned you having seen it a few years back and wondered if this was the one. At any rate, it was surprising to be equally entertained by the play as by the movie, so often seen.
LikeLike
Kevin performed in it in 2009, however, he said there were 2 Chicago productions and it was the other that was recorded. His was the traveling production (though I don’t remember him traveling anywhere with it).
LikeLike
Isn’t that how life seems to go? Always the other one that was recorded. You are the only other person I know who seen such a production, Janet. We’ll have to meet up and take about it more some day soon, when the heart of winter sets in and our Kate’s are far away.
LikeLike