Brandon Ellis, Garth Kravits, Wayne Wilcox, Maggie Lakis, Whitney Bashor and Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
The cast of Bucks County Playhouse’s production of the popular holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, is currently in rehearsals with Hunter Foster at the helm, at Playwrights Horizons in New York. The show will run at Bucks County Playhouse (70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA), December 11 – 27, 2015.
Photos by Mandee Kuenzle
Hunter Foster and Jennifer Cody. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, inspired by the classic Frank Capra classic film of the same name, features musical staging by Jennifer Cody. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a “studio audience,” It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play tells the story of idealistic George Bailey as he considers his demise one fateful Christmas Eve. The story comes to captivating life with the help of an ensemble that brings over two dozen characters to the stage. Landry’s adaptation premiered in 1996 in Stanford, CT and has since been produced countless times around the country to critical acclaim – including at Bucks County Playhouse in December 2012 under the direction of Gordon Greenberg with musical staging by Lorin Latarro.
Whitney Bashor and Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play features Wayne Wilcox as Jake Laurents (Broadway: The Normal Heart, CW’s Gilmore Girls), Brandon Ellis (Broadway: Company, Once, and Off-Broadway: Balls…The Musical?) as Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood, Maggie Lakis as Lana Sherwood (National Tour: Avenue Q, Off-Broadway: Allegro), Whitney Bashor as Sally Applewhite (Broadway: The Bridges of Madison County), Kevin Pariseau as Freddie Filmore (Broadway: Legally Blonde the Musical) and Garth Kravits (Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone) as Butch Popkins/ Foley Artist/Sound Effects Guy.
Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
Kevin Pariseau is the production’s musical director. The production team includes set design by Rob Bissinger, lighting design by Robert Denton, costume design by Nicole V. Moody and sound design by Matthew Given. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
Kevin Pariseau. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
Maggie Lakis and Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
Bucks County Playhouse will offer discounted preview performances of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play on Friday, December 11 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 12 at 2 pm. Tickets to preview performances are only $30. Opening night is Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 pm. The Playhouse is also offering a special matinee performance discount for Christmas Week performances. All tickets in the mid-orchestra (blue section) are $40 for 2 p.m. performances on December 22-24. Santa Claus will be in the lobby before the show to greet those attending the performance.
Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (note: there is 7:30 performance on December 16), Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. There is no evening performance on Christmas Eve and no performances on Christmas Day. For full details, and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org or call 215-862-2121.
Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox and Whitney Bashor. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
Garth Kravits. Photo by Mandee Kuenzle
Garth Kravits, Kevin Pariseau, Whitney Bashor, Maggie Lakis, Brandon Ellis, Wayne Wilcox. Photo by Joanna Muhlfelder
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachang.com
