This Wonderful Life

About the Play

This Wonderful Life
by Steve Murray
directed by Benjamin Hanna
hilarious and heartwarming

Frank Capra’s iconic holiday movie It’s a Wonderful Life provides the springboard for a spirited and heartwarming performance as a man in love with the film enacts and reacts to its classic characters and content. Indy-based actor Rob Johansen takes on this witty tour de force as he recreates more than 30 characters at madcap speed. In this time-honored story, it’s Christmas Eve and a distraught George Bailey is sure he has failed his family and community. Clarence, an angel-in-waiting, helps George see how vital a role he’s played in the world and ultimately shares the effect that one hardworking man's life has on the people around him. Celebrate the season with theatrical magic, joyfully reimagined for our times.

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APPROXIMATE RUN TIME: 1 hour and 20 minutes, with no intermission

This Wonderful Life is a one-man dramedy that contains adult themes, including references to suicide. The production includes the use of strobe lights. Recommended for patrons 8th grade and above.
 

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Artistic Notes:
"We selected This Wonderful Life for a variety of reasons: we very much wanted to find a holiday piece that would gather people virtually, if not physically, around the idea of the best of American traditions–rediscovered community, reigniting individual purpose, and reinventing the essence of family celebrations. For many American families, the shared viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life, or its 100-year antecedent, A Christmas Carol, IS the meaning of the winter holidays." –Janet Allen, Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director 

"The American Film Institute ranks It's A Wonderful Life as their #1 movie of the most inspirational films of all time. In this joyful retelling, Rob Johansen plays all of the characters in the film with a huge heart, unbridled imagination and exceptional skill. As we all experience new levels of isolation and separation from family, the story reminds us of our impact and the gifts we bring to those who love us. It is silly, sweet, charming, and fun–but It will also make you call your loved ones and tell them how much you love them!" –Benjamin Hanna, Director