“Wonderful Life” on stage falls short

By Kalyn Golland
Western Herald

The curtain lifts on the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” to display both a minimalist set on what could be a flourishing Christmas stage and in the same spirit brings mediocre singing and acting skills that leave the Christmas classic lacking.

The local portrayal of George Bailey’s life is unique. To enjoy the show the viewer has to put aside what they know of the original film and let the Kalamazoo production be its own.

There are no James “Jimmy” Stewart’s or Donna Reed’s in this production, but the changes in the play are not so vast that avid fans of the original will not be able to overcome. The script is almost exactly like that of the film, with songs simply spicing it up.

“The music definitely added to the show,” said Lindsay Brown, 23, of Kalamazoo.

The show included classic scenes such as George (Nicholas Mumma) and Mary (Hannah Wiest) sharing a moment crooning by moonlight and Mr. Potter ominously threatening George in his attempts to get a hold of the Bailey Building and Loan.

Problems arise when both singing and acting try to coincide.

While it was easy to spot that many in the cast were either trained singers or natural actors, it was hard to find any character that boasted fluency in both skills. Nicholas Mumma’s portrayal of George Bailey was one main character that came close to tackling both would-be requirements.

In the second act, Mumma really brings out his acting chops with both inner turmoil over the events of his life, and managing to successfully convey these feelings to the audience through a heartfelt scene on the bridge as he belted out, “Dear God.”

“I wasn’t sure of George Bailey at first because you get so attached to James Stewart as that character, you have high expectations of who is portraying him, but he grew on me,” Brown said.

The other musical highlight of the performance that generated enthusiasm from the opening night crowd came after Mr. and Mrs. Martini (Mike Salerno and Gina Maria Chimner) showed off strong singing capabilities and comedic timing in, “Bless You, George Bailey,” and “O Solo Mio.”

Much of the performance focused on George’s life before the fateful Christmas Eve when Clarence Oddbody AS2 (Angel Second Class) arrives and gives George a glimpse of what his life would have been like if he had never been born.

But the chance for Clarence, wonderfully portrayed by Don Wallace, to shine is cut short by his limited stage time, as the two and a half hour play tries to quickly wrap up.

The touching ending is similar to the film, the difference being that it has the entire Kalamazoo cast hugging onstage. While this leaves the viewers feeling warm and cozy as if everyone has just spent two and a half hours caroling together like old friends, what is remembered is that the singing, and some of the acting, was a bit forced.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Nov 29 2009. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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