It's a Wonderful Life

by James W. Rodgers, Frank Capra, Philip van Doren Stern

Reprising his film role in this memorable classic James Stewart has a perfect life. A loving wife, Mary (Donna Reed), four young children, and his own business, which he inherited from his father. Facing a financial crisis one Christmas Eve he contemplates suicide. This being Hollywood he is saved at the last moment by the intervention of his guardian angel who takes him on a tour of how the world would be without him. His friendly Main Street America town is sad, impoverished and bleak.

Convinced by this to return his guardian angel brings him back to the present and he finds the whole town has rallied round to save his business. A rightful American classic.

Genres: Plays, Realistic Fiction, Christmas

69 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

So ~~ So adaptation of the Capra classic. The problem is it lacks the tension of the film.

[Tena Edlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good cutting of a classic story with a wonderful message. It’s the time of year that I’m reading possibilities for the middle school play.

[Anthony Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 1993 American adaptation of Frank Capra’s film. One review in the text says ‘... a very faithful adaptation...[Rodgers] obviously knows what average American community theatres are looking for. It’s also broken down into very manageable segments, making rehearsals easier. Crowd appeal was very high and no one minded that our leading man looked/sounded NOTHING like Jimmy Stewart!’

I’d agree and it’s good to know that the stage version was able to stand on its own merits. Of course, if you haven’t seen the film, it wouldn’t matter anyway that the leading man was not James Stewart.

I thought the script read well, slipping, as the film does, between the present and the past and, in one scene, the putative present, by the skilful use of lighting and scenery trucks. The famous bridge on which George Bailey finds himself on Christmas Eve is set upstage so the bulk of the action takes place in front of it, as if George is watching himself all the time (even though on stage he moves between the two).

The play has the same energy that the original does, and a production would need at least to emulate that same pacy American delivery. The scenery and lighting changes need to be similarly slick.

Plenty of roles for amdram companies, and they are all quite distinctive characters, too. I know that British audiences perhaps take the rip out of American melodrama and sentimentality, but played at full and shameless throttle, I think this is an adaptation that would work really well. You have a love story, a villain, gratitude, generosity set against selfishness, and a hero whose endless capacity to do a little good in the world is sore tested by his own conscience-thwarted ambitions as well as the villain’s machinations, etc etc.

I should give Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ a re-read.

[Chloe McNeill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this from cover to cover in about an hour (while I was meant to be taking part in a play committee meeting!). It had all of the warm loveliness of the film and I had to hold back the tears at the end. Within minutes of finishing the script I was pleading with play committee to make it come to life and could imagine all of the lovely ways to make it completely and totally wonderful for a live audience. It’s fast paced, it’s got action, it’s got good dialogue and yet still doable for an amateur society. It could turn saccharine if not handled carefully and there is a large cast. But what better show to see at Christmas.

[Will Wala · Rating 5 out of 5]

تخيل العالم من دون وجودك هل سيكون مكانا افضل ؟
لا يمكن للعالم ان يكون على ما هو عليه ان لم تكن انت موجود فانت احدثت تغييرا سواء رغبت في ذلك ام لم ترغب .

[Kelsey Burnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Great adaptation from the movie!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this show right now. Did table read last night. Script is well done and I can’t wait to analyze it. Lots of potential.

[angelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be read and re-read! Love it!

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly decent adaptation of the film. No adaptation will ever capture everything that goes on in the film. This does a good job.

[Darlene Ferland · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a wonderful life!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

We own this play script because my husband played Clarence Oddbody (the angel who's trying to get his wings) in a local production a few years ago. It was not the first dramatic adaptation of Frank Capra's movie and Philip Van Doren Stern's story that I had seen; there was the musical version put on by an evangelical church where the performance was interrupted when the leading man collapsed on stage -- but that's another story. Anyway, this was a workmanlike adaptation and since the cast was mostly excellent I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it to community theaters looking for a sure-fire Christmas season hit.

[Jason Santos]

A fantastic adaptation of the movie, for the stage.