It’s A Wonderful Life Radio Show  

The latest offering from Pacific Theatre, “It’s A Wonderful Life Radio Show” is pure unpretentious fun.

The classic Christmas film is reimagined as a radio play being broadcast before our eyes in a 1946 radio studio by an ensemble of performers.  The synopsis of the film is so familiar that the dialogue required to move the threads of the plot line forward is minimal.  The real fun lies in the peripheral features: an array of sound-effects devices – all used to maximum effect; period commercials (mostly sung) and music contemporary to the period in which the action is set.

A minor departure from the radio broadcast template is the provision of a small amount of costuming that would be unnecessary in a real broadcast.  This serves to assist the audience in distinguishing characters whose identity would otherwise be ambiguous.

If you are looking for a Christmas show that is a bit out of the ordinary this one is a good bet.