Remember “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings”? It’s one of the heart-over-head verities of the seasonal favorite film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” And every other year, audiences in Plymouth have an opportunity to see a lively, boundary-pushing radio play version of the popular seasonal tale that teaches how much difference a single life can make.
The radio play version of the classic film has become an audience-pleasing standby for the professional, Plymouth-based Americana Theatre Company. The group performs its own radio-play version during alternate Christmas holiday seasons at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, at 11 North St.
Shows start on Saturday, Dec. 9, and continue through Sunday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. every evening but Monday. Two shows are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 16, at 2 and 7 p.m.
“We’re trying to make it a Christmas tradition for some people,” said the company’s Derek Martin, who with Marianne Savell is directing this year’s show.
As a live version of a 1940s-era radio play, the show takes advantage of the genre’s eccentric possibilities. The radio play makes use of props such as microphones and quick costume changes. Actors play numerous roles (a small cast portrays the show’s 40 roles), microphones are prominent, and at various – and increasingly frequent – points throughout the crowd-pleasing denouement, “sound effects” steal the show. Audience response is also encouraged by frequent flashing of the “applause” sign.
The radio-play technology of an earlier day makes for infectious live theater, Martin said. Audiences prove happy to applaud on cue, he noted.
Released in 1946, produced and directed by Frank Capra, “It’s a Wonderful Life” now figures high on the lists of best American films of all time. Jimmy Stewart played the lead, the honest and compassionate manager of a struggling mortgage company that loaned money to people who could not otherwise afford to own their own home. Donna Reed played his wife. Lionel Barrymore played the villain, the scheming banker Potter.
“The challenging part of the whole thing is to use the radio play treatment and still find the heart,” Martin said, such as in “the intimate moments between Mary and George.”
Martin said that in writing the script for their company’s radio-play version of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Americana Theater Company members such as Jesse Sullivan, Jesse Winton, and he were able to insert references into the show for local backers, including as Martini’s Bar & Grille in downtown Plymouth.
“We get the biggest kick out of that,” said Martin, who grew up in Carver and teaches theater at Stonehill College.
Plymouth was always a town with attractions, he said. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to create a theater in Plymouth. We thought it really should have a professional company.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is not only about laughs and sound effects, it’s a morality tale as well. George Bailey, who learns how important his every good deed has been, is played by Jesse M. Sullivan. His wife Mary by Trina Vargas, George’s bumbling partner Clarence by Nick Hancock, and David Friday’s roles include Potter, the villainous banker.
Friday, Martin said, has “a big baritone voice. The best voice in radio.” Sometimes, he added, an actor playing two characters entertains the audience by “arguing with himself.”
The Hollywood studio film dragged at the box office when it was released in the postwar year of 1946, but it has become a classic in the decades since. After its copyright lapsed in 1974, TV networks could screen the movie without paying fee. Its moralistic plot, a classically sympathetic character pitted against a nasty one resonated with TV audiences, and the film became a holiday season staple in many households. The plot’s quintessential “magic of Christmas” ending helped make the movie a seasonal favorite. Fans look forward to watching it every year, or screening it in the background at holiday gatherings.
The tale’s ultimate message – that every life matters – is a supremely democratic one. When quintessential good neighbor George’s faith is restored by a messenger from heaven and returned to the bosom of his family and his mortgage company saved by the love and generosity of the town’s good people, it’s not only a victory of good over evil but a vindication of America’s faith in “the common man.”
Tickets for “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” are $35 adults, $30 for students and seniors. To reserve tickets, visit tickets.americanatheatre.org
More to do:
Saturday, Dec. 2
The Pilgrim Festival Chorus will perform a Christmas season program called “Christmas Joy: Works of Britten, Rutter, and Susa” on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 3, 4 p.m. Performances will take place at St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, in Manomet. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens, and $15 for students over 14. Children ages 14 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org/tickets, from chorus members, and at the door.
Pilgrim Hall Museum’s annual Holiday House Tour & Christmas Tea invites participants to a selection of private homes, decorated beautifully for the season, and an optional Christmas Tea at the museum after the tour. General admission tickets include entrance to decorated private homes from North Plymouth and the historic downtown to Chiltonville, Manomet, and South Plymouth; a souvenir program booklet describing the homes on view; hot cocoa and treats along the way; plus the Christmas Tea. Tickets are available only at Pilgrim Hall Museum or online through the museum’s website. A limited number of tickets will be available for the tour (absent the Christmas tea) on the day of the event.
The Western Massachusetts-based band Harvest & Rust performs the music of Neil Young’s album “Harvest,” plus a selection of Young’s greatest hits, at The Spire Center. The show begins at 8 p.m. For tickets, visit spirecenter.org.
Sunday, Dec. 3
Plimoth Patuxet Museums hosts its Winter Fine Arts and Craft Fair, a showcase and marketplace of fine arts and craft at the museums’ Hornblower Visitor Center, at 137 Warren Ave. Immerse yourself, the museums invite, “in a festive winter setting.” The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Also on Dec. 3, Local Roots, at 186 Water St., hosts entertainment for the breakfast/brunch/etc. crowd from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
And yet more to do on Dec. 3, The Pinehills in Plymouth invites the public to “Jingle All the Way” to The Pinehills village green to kick off the holiday season. The event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featured attractions include the Mayflower Brewing Winter Beer Garden, Santa at The Pinehills post office, an event called the “Book Love Holiday Pop-up” inside the Rowen rental agency, plus a storytime, a petting zoo, a holiday selfie station, carolers, a firepit, tree lighting, and “The Reindog Parade.” You can register your dog for the parade through The Pinehills website.
The Pilgrim Festival Chorus concludes its holiday concert program with a performance at 4 p.m. at St. Bonaventure Parish in Manomet. (See Saturday’s listing for details.
Monday, Dec. 4
Uva Wine Bar, 46 Main St., hosts its Frosted Holly Berry Bracelet Stack Classfrom 6 to 7 p.m. Tickets are available through the wine bar’s website.
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Plymouth Public Library invites parents, caregivers, and babies from 0 to 18 months old to “Books and Babies,” a half-hour of stories, bounces, fingerplays, and songs taking place from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
The library’s Chess Club meets this evening from 7 to 8 p.m. This activity is for when babies grow up.
Plymouth G Pub, 101 Carver Road, hosts “Tuesdays in the Taproom,” a program of free comedy by Mike Murray and Friends, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec 6
Plymouth Public Library offers “Tots and Tales,” a half-hour storytime for children 3 and under and their caregivers from 11 to 11:30 a.m. The program includes stories, songs, and movement activities that reinforce early literacy skills.
The Wednesday Night Writing Group (for grown-up kids) meets in the library’s History Room from 6 to 8 p.m. For questions email Maureen Coleman at mcoleman@ocln.org or call 508-830-4250, ext. 204.
The Plymouth High School Class of 1958 will start a monthly lunch get-together on Wed., Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Charlie Horse in Kingston. Monthly lunch gatherings will continue on the first Wednesday of every month, weather permitting. Call Clare Montanari at 617-688-6419 for more details. Anyone who has a link to this class is welcome to come to lunch.
Thursday, Dec. 7
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society presents “A Christmas Carol at the Hedge House,” inviting the public to an “immersive” performance as a talented cast brings to life Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This is an original production that transforms each of the house’s rooms into a setting for a different scene as participants witness Scrooge’s encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Forty-five minute long performances begin at 6, 7, and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35 and are available at www.plymouthantiquarian.org. Performances continue at the Hedge House, located at 126 Water St., through Sunday, Dec. 10.
Friday, Dec. 8
Divas with a Twist, consisting of five powerful female singers backed by high-energy musicians, perform new arrangements of pop favorites, classic rock and Motown, plus original songs at The Spire Center, 25 ½ Court St. The show starts at 8 p.m. For tickets visit spirecenter.org.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums staff present “Homeschool Day – Hearth Cooking for the Holidays” for a hands-on demonstration of hearth cooking inspired by the winter season and traditional 17th-century celebrations. Demonstrations take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit the museum’s website for tickets, starting at $20.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Plimoth Patuxet Museums hosts a breakfast buffet with Santa on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Children will have the opportunity to decorate their own holiday gingerbread man, write a letter to Santa, make a holiday ornament, and visit with Jolly Old Saint Nick. For tickets visit plimoth.org/events
The Spire Center presents “A Very Soulful Christmas” with singer Morgan James, a Julliard-trained singer, songwriter and recording artist, beginning at 8 p.m. Visit the center’s website for tickets.
There may be no place like home for holidays, but a decked-out Memorial Hall with a “Hometown Holiday” concert on tap might run a close second. The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra will perform its holiday concert twice on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and then on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m., so fans of the season’s music will have multiple opportunities to satisfy their appetite for musical cheer. Stocking-filling is still your own department. The holiday concerts’ surprise offering this year is a musical vignette from “A Christmas Carol” with actor Neil McGarry playing all the parts in Dickens’ ghost-magic tale. McGarry has demonstrated his abilities to do just that in one-man stage dramatizations of Dickens’ morality play masterpiece in Plymouth venues, including both the Plymouth Center for the Arts and The Spire Center. Another orchestra friend, tenor Matthew Anderson, will keep spirits high with a rendition of “God Bless Us, Everyone” from the Disney version of the Dickens classic. The orchestra will also take a sleigh ride into the holiday songbook, beat the drums for the annual “March of the Toys” charity toy drive, and sing out a welcome for old St. Nick. Tickets range from $35 to $100. Visit plymouthphil.org to reserve.
The Evening Garden Club of Plymouth will hold its annual greens sale at the Plymouth Public Library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It includes hand-decorated wreaths, live tabletop arrangements, cemetery baskets, and other items. Proceeds will be used to support the club’s many community projects. Email Plyevegarden@yahoo for more information.
Sunday, Dec. 10
Another performance of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Hometown Holiday” concert is on tap. See Friday’s listing for details.
The 1620 Winery @ Cordage Park, 55 Cordage Park Circle, presents its “Holiday Drag Show” with performances by what the venue calls “the best queens in New England,” beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets are $55. Also featured are a full bar and complementary appetizers. For tickets visit 1620winery.com.
Sunday is the last day for performances of “A Christmas Carol at the Hedge House,” an immersive adaptation of the Dickens classic that moves from room to room in the historic house. See the website for times and tickets.
Monday, Dec. 11
The Artisan Pig, 66 Court St., is presenting a night of “Decorating Gingerbread Houses, Christmas Movies, Good Food, and Sweet Treats.” Tickets cost $40 and include a gingerbread house to decorate, frosting and candy. A limited food menu and a full bar will also be available. The deadline to purchase tickets is Thursday, Dec. 7. Visit artisanpig.com.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Plymouth G Pub, 101 Carver Road, presents “Tuesdays in the Taproom” with comedian Mike Murray & Friends, starting at 7 p.m. The laughs are free.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Plimoth Patuxet Museums offers holiday-themed activities including a children’s lantern-making session and a story hour, from 4 to 5 p.m. Visit the website for more information.
Thursday, Dec. 14
Plimoth Patuxet Museums hosts a lunchtime lecture on “Christmas in Plymouth Colony” from 12 to 1 p.m. Visit the website for more information.
The Spire Center’s TD Bank Lobby series – the center’s lobby is transformed into a 70-seat “lounge” – showcases local and regional musicians in a relaxed setting, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Friday, Dec. 15
Plymouth Public Library offers “Books with Balance,” a family yoga class designed around a children’s yoga story, held in the library’s Fehlow meeting room from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The class is intended for child age 3 and up includes an interactive “read aloud’ with poses and games to engage children and adults of all ages. Participants are encouraged to bring a favorite stuffed animal. Yoga mats are available to borrow or you can bring your own.
Also…
America’s Hometown Laureates, Inc., a nonprofit organization, is actively seeking candidates to become the next Plymouth Poet Laureate, whose term will begin in April 2024. Applicants should submit the following: a 1-page “Poet’s Statement,” describing your vision for the responsibilities of the Poet Laureate position; a resume or curriculum vitae; and three published original works. Applications are due by Friday, Dec. 15, and can be submitted online (PDF format) to Hometownlaureates@gmail.com. Paper submission can be mailed or dropped off at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, 100 Armstrong Rd., Suite 204, Plymouth, MA 02360.
Plymouth’s first Poet Laureate, Stephan Delbos, was chosen in April 2020. He created the Plymouth Poetry Forum Facebook page and read poetry with Maggie Smith, the author of “Good Bones,” at a popular event held at The Spire Center.
For more information, contact Jennifer Harris at hometownlaureates@gmail.com.
To submit a listing, contact Robert Knox at rc.knox2@gmail.com.