“It’s a Wonderful Life” brings back 1940’s radio drama to tell a familiar story

12/14/2025

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This image captures a romantic, medium shot of a man and a woman standing close together on a theatrical stage set up like a vintage radio studio. The man is positioned on the right, wearing a white shirt, a bright red patterned tie, and dark blue trousers with suspenders; he has his arm draped around the woman's shoulder and is smiling at her. The woman, on the left, is looking up at him and smiling, wearing a teal green dress, matching shoes, and holding a small blue book under her arm. They are standing near a vintage microphone stand. The background features deep red curtains, a large wreath with lights framing the letters "WBFR," and a lighted sign that reads "STANDBY ON AIR." Two other men in period suits are visible on raised platforms behind them. — The cast of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. (Photo by Avery Brunkus)

This image is a full-cast shot from a stage production set in a vintage radio studio, featuring four actors standing behind four microphones. From left to right: a woman in a long magenta dress is smiling broadly and holding an accordion with her hand on her hip; a man in a dark suit with a red tie and a microphone positioned in front of him is smiling; a Black man in a pinstripe suit is smiling and holding a small black device, also with a microphone; and a man in a sweater vest over a white shirt and tan pants is smiling with one hand raised, posing with the woman next to him in a teal dress who has one leg lifted playfully. The backdrop is a red curtain with a wreath framing the letters "WBFR" and a lighted sign that reads "STANDBY ON AIR," indicating a lively, energetic performance. — Tina Stafford, Tony Roach, RJ Foster, Andy Paterson, and Tiffany Topol. (Photo by Avery
Brunkus)

There are shows that are so beautiful and touching that you want to hold them close and keep them all to yourself. But you also want as many people as possible to come see them and experience what you have.

Such a show is It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, 2025’s final production at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

The Shakespeare Theatre takes us back in time to 1946. It’s the era of live radio drama, and a talented troupe of actors, including their ever-resourceful sound effects man, have gathered to bring us the heartwarming story, It’s a Wonderful Life. Like the beloved movie of the same name, it tells the story of George Bailey, a man with dreams and ambitions who finds himself sidetracked by life. George has dreams of going to college, becoming an architect, and traveling the world, leaving the small town of Bedford Falls behind.

But life has other plans. His father’s death kills his dream of college as he turns to running the family’s savings and loan, with bank president Potter shifting his enmity from father to son. His dreams of travel fade with marriage to the sweet Mary and ensuing parenthood. His brother’s return from college, announcing his marriage and out-of-the-area job acceptance, means he won’t be taking over the savings and loan from George. Even the brief opportunity for travel — his honeymoon — is cancelled when he uses the money set aside for it to keep the savings and loan open long enough to withstand a run on the institution by its depositors.

George’s last straw is the loss, by his slow-witted uncle Billy, of a crucial deposit that needs to be made in Potter’s bank to satisfy financial auditors. It’s an accident, but Potter ends up with the money, realizes what it is for, and sics a compliant auditor on George. When Potter gleefully turns down his request for a loan to cover the shortage, George heads for the nearest bridge in despair. But like his many other plans, his suicide is thwarted by the intervention of the guardian angel Clarence, who jumps in first, forcing George’s instincts to kick in and save him. George makes a foolish wish — that it would have been better if he had never been born — and, with permission from above, Clarence grants it.

This image is a medium shot of a stage performance, likely set in a radio studio in the 1940s or 50s, featuring four actors in retro attire. In the foreground, a woman with dark hair, wearing a long magenta dress and a funny drawn-on mustache, is holding an accordion and looking to the side with an animated expression. Beside her, a man with dark hair is looking toward the camera with a surprised or intense expression, wearing a patterned red and white vest over a white shirt, brown trousers with suspenders, and has his hands on his hips. Two other men in suits stand on a raised platform behind them, one in a light suit with a bow tie and one in a dark pinstripe suit, looking on. The background features deep red velvet curtains and a large wreath with lights framing the letters "WBFR," suggesting a holiday radio broadcast setting. — Tina Stafford, Paul Henry, Andy Paterson, and RJ Foster. (Photo by Avery Brunkus)

The illusion of It’s a Wonderful Life in the theatre starts as you enter. You are part of the radio audience, seeing the behind-the-scenes world of classic radio drama — the “applause” signs flanking the stage, the row of live microphones, the sound effects area, the sound-deadening rugs on the stage floor. The sound effects man comes on, checking out his equipment one last time pre-broadcast. The actors come down the aisles, greeting friends in the audience before making their way on stage. The announcer warms up the audience, introducing the stars of the broadcast, then launching into the show within the show.

This image is a full-length shot of a man standing on a stage, likely during a theatrical performance, dressed in a dark, vintage-style suit. The man is wearing a dark, double-breasted suit jacket over a matching vest and wide-legged trousers, a white shirt, and a bright red tie. He is standing at a microphone stand, holding a piece of paper in his left hand, with his right hand extended outward in a dramatic gesture as he looks upward and appears to be speaking or singing with intensity. The background includes a large decorated Christmas tree, poinsettia plants on a lower stage level, and a row of empty wooden chairs, all set against a dark backdrop with decorative holiday lighting. — Tony Roach. (Photo by Avery Brunkus)

This image is a medium shot of a stage performance, likely a theatrical presentation, set indoors. In the center, a man and a woman stand close together. The woman, positioned on the left, has dark brown hair and is wearing a retro-style, teal or dark green dress and matching shoes, with a small blue book tucked under her arm. She is leaning against the man, looking up at him and smiling. The man is taller, wearing a white shirt, dark trousers with suspenders, a bright red tie with a patterned motif, and a microphone is positioned directly in front of him. The background suggests a radio studio setting, with heavy red velvet curtains, a wreath with lights that frames the letters "WBFR," and a lighted sign above that reads "STANDBY ON AIR." Two other men in period attire are visible in the background, one standing and one seated at a desk, indicating a multi-person scene. — Tony Roach. (Photo by Avery Brunkus)

The cast, directed by Shakespeare Theatre veteran Paul Mullins, do everything from commercial jingles to playing multiple parts, large and small, and even shilling for raffles to benefit the Shakespeare Theatre (note: these are legitimate raffles run annually by the theatre). Announcer Freddie Filmore (RJ Foster) doubles as the villainous banker Potter and Clarence’s angel supervisor. Paul Henry tackles the roles of uncle Billy Bailey and the sound effects man (or “Foley artist” as it’s listed in the program). Henry portrays Billy as slow-witted and forgetful without making him seem mentally impaired, a delicate interpretation of the character.

Two fine actresses, Tina Stafford and Tiffany Topol as Lana Sherwood and Sally Applewhite, portray Violet, the town’s bad girl with a heart of gold, and Mary, the impossibly sweet but not cloying good girl. Stafford also plays George’s mother and the corrupt bank auditor, displaying her range. Anchoring the show are Andy Paterson as actor Harry Heywood playing both Clarence the angel and George’s father; and the amazing Tony Roach as Jake Laurents playing George Bailey, from youth to middle age. Roach’s George is a man of such basic decency and compassion for others that when you see his final despair you are shattered. But then, how many of us truly realize how many lives have been touched, altered, affected because we were there?

The set design is realized by Sarah Beth Hall, enveloping not only the world of the play but the world of the studio and, by extension, the audience. Lit by Kevin Gartley with sound design by Steven Beckel, the worlds of Bedford Falls and station WBFR come to vibrant life. Austin Blake Conlee’s costumes are period-perfect for the mid 1940’s and, with a change of hat, jacket, or apron, lets you know which actor is playing what character.

I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of the film version of It’s a Wonderful Life. But remaking it as a show within a show, a recreation of the days of live radio performances, seems to add a dimension of reality that tempers the fantasy aspects. You walk away with a renewed sense, not really of hope, but of belief in the connectedness of all people, and the fact that each person is part of a web of friends, acquaintances, co-workers, young and old, male and female. To get that feeling, I strongly recommend you make the trip to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to find out just why It’s a Wonderful Life!

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is presented by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in the F.M. Kirby Theatre on the campus of Drew University in Madison through Dec. 28, 2025. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to shakespearenj.org.