BCsPage.com Archive- "It's A Wonderful Life"

Maintained by and for Bob Cooley (me!)

Winter 2004

Ever since I played Ernie the cab driver in this show at The Drama Group in Chicago Heights I’d wanted to direct it. It had just the right blend of pathos, comedy, charm, and romance that appeals to me, with a nicely expressive (if somewhat bland) score. I’m also one of the biggest Frank Capra fans on the planet. “It’s a Wonderful Life” was CPCT’s second scripted musical, and I dove in a mere month following “Baby”. The show required a large cast, which was nicely filled with a blend of talented and experienced NWI mainstays (Dave Piercy, Bill Ference, Ed Griffith, Ted Rosdill, Kim Bernstein), and some very talented newcomers (Brad & Gail Brown, Laura Placek, Joan Gang, Leon Simon, Karen Claus). My set design was over-ambitious (and not very well conceived) for the limitations of the space (as usual in these non-theater spaces, not enough freakin’ TIME). John Konrad and Ted worked their butt’s off on construction, as Joan and Laura spent about 6 hours a day in tech week painting… but it just didn’t come off. What seemed like a lot of set looked blank and under-detailed on stage. Set changes that seemed simple on paper were a nightmare. Bad design and poor planning on my part… I realize in writing this that everything I’ve done in planning every show since is a reaction to this show. So- another valuable learning experience. That said… Jim Mollin, the pit, and the cast delivered some expressive and emotional music, the staging and lighting worked pretty well, and the audiences were large and enthusiastic (4 sell-outs, CPCT’s largest audiences to date, by far). After all of the frustration in getting the set mounted and scenes changed, I took some satisfaction in what was accomplished in spite of the challenges, and was very proud of the cast and musical performers. Cast List

Originally this was supposed to be towns-people praying for George on a pedestal that would arrange them in the shape of a Christmas tree (yeah, that was gonna get done), and the lights that shone on their faces when they sang their individual lines would be signify Christmas tree lights. Well, we ditched the tree shaped pedestal and placed them onstage in their social groups, keeping the lights. Which signified… uh… they looked pretty cool (hey, everything doesn’t have to mean something). No, wait… it was the lights of their souls glowing as seen by God as they prayed for their friend. Yeah, that’s it…

Alexis Lopez was the flirty young Violet Bick, Eric Landers was young George. Hot Dog!		John Konrad, Leo Govert, and Ed Griffith as Bert, Ernie, and Mr. Gower.
Laura Placek as Mary, Dave Piercy as George.	Gail Brown and Leon Simon		Honeymoon in the old house.
George will have to stay and run that ‘ol Savings and Loan.	Ted Rosdil as Mr. Potter, Joan Gang is his hench-woman, Brad Brown the befuddled but good-hearted Uncle Billy.		“I Hate You George!”
“Where’s that money you fool!”	“Daddy Can You Fix My Flower?” Kennedy Starkovich as the adorable Zuzu.		A cry for help.
“You look like the kind of Angel I’d get.”	A slightly different version of “Daddy Won’t You Fix My Flower”- Karen Claus as Violet Bick, fallen in Pottersville.		“Bert, this is Mr. Gower!”
“She’s closing up the library!”	Every time a bell rings…		“That a boy, Clarence!”

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