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General News: It's A Wonderful Life Plays in Village
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| Music director Steve Kessler coaches the singers. |
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| The singers open the Radio Play. |
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| Foley artists Ann Cardinale and Jonathan Vargo provide the sound effects. |
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| Brian Florio and Kevin McConnell read the voices of several local characters. |
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| Clarence (Tom Cardinal) reaches out to help George Bailey (Steve Sywak). |
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| The Bailey children. |
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| George and Mary (Linda Giardella) bask in the generosity of friends. |
December 11, 2008
If you want to warm the bonds of friends, family and community, then you can’t miss this season’s holiday performance by the Stormy Weather Players of “A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.”
The Radio Play finds its success in the crisp delivery of dialogue and clever sound effects that transport the audience into the story in a subtle, reassuring manner. Under the direction of Alaine Major, the actors use their voices to build characters and the foley actors create sound effects that add reality to the setting. From the sounds of boots crunching on snow to pouring wine and slamming doors, the sound effects crew creates intimate, realistic moods throughout the play.
The production opens with singers in front of microphones crooning the name of the radio station in harmony. A narrator sets the scene for the story – the small town of Bedford Falls. We meet George Bailey and his brother, Harry, and learn how George rescued his brother when he fell through the ice as a child. We also meet Mr. Gower, the pharmacist, and Henry Potter, the “richest and meanest man in the county.”
As the story progresses, the town and the people have fallen on hard times, among them George Bailey, who questions if he has the spirit to keep going in the face of financial loss. He thinks his small children and wife, Mary, will be better off without him.
Discouraged and at the point of suicide, Bailey is plucked from the brink by Clarence, who hopes to earn his angel’s wings by saving this poor human soul.
Clarence shows Bailey what life would be like if he hadn’t been there. His brother would have died in the frigid waters and his wife Mary would have ended up alone, living in a town now controlled by Henry Potter himself. “One man’s life touches another and when he is gone, he leaves a big hole,” Clarence explains to the astonished Bailey, who comes to realize that he had indeed changed the course of other people’s destiny’s through his life.
When he returns home to his wife and children he finds that all the people whose lives he had touched had rallied in his absence to help him through a difficult financial time. Their generosity teaches Bailey that no man is a failure when he has friends.
The beauty of this local production of “A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” comes from the theater troupe itself. The Stormy Weather Players are a hearty band of actors, singers, and community-minded folks who perform a holiday production each year at this time. Brian Florio and his wife, Alaine Major, are joined by Peggy and Steve Sywak (who plays George Bailey), and an ever-expanding team of players.
This year, Linda Giardella, who works in Cornwall town hall, plays the lead role of Mary Bailey and reveals talents before unknown. Tom Cardinale fits easily into his role as Clarence, the emerging angel, and his wife, Ann, performs expertly on the sound effects. Many other fine and willing actors – both old and young – lend their voices and their talents to this celebration of community in a small town.
The play has only three performances – this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday– so get there early and get ready to be transported to another place and time.
Click here for more details about tickets and performance times.
Comments:
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There are actually three (3) shows Fri & Sat 12/12 & 12/13/08 @ 7:30 pm and a Sat Matinee @ 2pm @ COH.
posted by Vicky Cooper on 12/11/08 at 10:03 PM
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See our web site for more information. www.stormyweatherplayers.org
posted by Vicky Cooper on 12/11/08 at 10:04 PM
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