In the style of a 1940s radio program, players perform the story as a Christmas Eve broadcast with music and sound effects. Join George Bailey as he learns what happens to his home town when he makes a wish to an angel that he was never born. A story of redemption that resonates with all ages, It’s A Wonderful Life has become an American Classic. Artistic Director Kirk Gostkowski returns to lead the cast as George Bailey.

Enjoy the timeless tale, explore what the world really would be like without you and what the power of faith and community can do. Give your whole family the gift of live theater!

If you’re looking for a delightful little Christmas show with a good dose of old-fashioned charm, the production of It’s a Wonderful Life currently playing at Irish Repertory Theatre fits that bill. Directed by the competent Charlotte Moore, this production isn’t likely to pull any major surprises, but in spite or perhaps because of that, it still succeeds. When, on Christmas Eve, George Bailey finds himself facing arrest for the loss of $8,000, he decides it would be better for everyone if he’d never been born. It’s up to George’s guardian angel, Clarence, to save George from suicide by convincing him that he really has a wonderful life. The Irish Rep production is played as a live radio show, which means an applause sign prompts the audience to clap at appropriate moments, and the show is peppered with sly 1940s-era commercials. It also means Rory Duffy as the SFX Artist single-handedly (and entertainingly) pulls off a slew of sound effects – like crunching shoes in corn flakes to imitate footsteps in the snow – while also performing as various characters. Impressive, that. With the exception of Aaron Gaines (a fitting George Bailey), each member of the six-person cast juggles tw …Read more