MUSKEGON, Mich. — Muskegon Community College has announced that one of its next theater performances will be It’s a Wonderful Life (A Live Radio Play). The show will be performed December 1-4 at the Overbrook Theater on the college’s main campus (221 S. Quarterline Road).
The December 1-3 performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. The performance on Sunday, December 4 will be held at 3 p.m.
Muskegon Community College’s performance shows audiences the behind-the-scenes making of a 1940s radio play. Audiences will see actors play multiple parts in the story, as well as see the foley artist create sound effects.
It’s a Wonderful Life follows George Bailey, who learns that his life has had a bigger impact on the people around him than he ever imagined.
Muskegon Community College’s performance of It’s a Wonderful Life (A Live Radio Play) will be directed by Les Rorick.
“I have never grown tired of the film,” said Rorick. “Even after countless viewings, it feels fresh and relevant. Unlike the original content of the story, which many of us know so well, the presentation format is very different. That special mixture of novelty and nostalgia is a major reason I encourage everyone to come out and experience It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.”
The film version of It’s a Wonderful Life was released in 1946. The film was directed by Frank Capra, and stars James Stewart as George Bailey, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch, and Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter. It is based on the 1943 short story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film went on to be nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
It’s a Wonderful Life went on to become a classic Christmas film. In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked the film #1 in its list of most inspiring movies. In 2007, the organization ranked it #20 in its list of the best American films ever made. The film’s plot was parodied in a 1992 Christmas episode of Tiny Toon Adventures and the 2002 television film It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.
Muskegon Community College’s performance of It’s a Wonderful Life (A Live Radio Play) will run December 1-4. Tickets can be purchased on Ludus.
