
Photo Courtesy: StagesTheatre
 Written by Patrick ChavisÂ
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at STAGE theatre in Fullerton hits all the right Christmas-y notes, and something new is added to the classic story– but the fact that the show is more of a history lesson than a staged play leaves the audience a little detached from the heart of the story.
The play loses me in this radio-style adaption of the play. I don’t feel like a radio show brings anything more to it. I was watching and wishing there was some B-plot between the actors doing the show. Something that made me think these people on stage aren’t just mannequins reciting lines but actual people with real issues right under the surface (wishful thinking). Instead, I received a history lesson on live radio in the 40s, which is fine, but it rarely adds anything for the sake of plot or entertainment value. What made the original live radio show so exciting was you couldn’t see it. The audience had to use every bit of imagination to bring those characters to life–and that’s stronger than any stagnant actor standing on a stage.

original motion picture
8/10
Date & Location :
November 28th – December 28th
StagesTheatre in Fullerton  Â
400 E. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, Ca. 92832
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