This Wonderful Life… is Wonderful

I just returned from the one man show “This Wonderful Life” at the San Jose Rep. The play is an adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic movie with one actor playing all the parts.

The award-winning playwright Steve Murray has created a visually stunning stage adaptation of the perennially popular holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life. This one-man tour de force delivers a witty and moving story that is sure to capture your heart and captivate your spirit. There’s the family man George Bailey; evil and miserly Mr. Potter; Clarence, the dotty angel in waiting; devoted Mary, and Zuzu with her petals. But we can’t forget the image of a man standing alone on a bridge on Christmas Eve…the story of how he got there, and how he found his way back home. This Wonderful Life reminds us of the power of perspective, friendship and family…the perfect holiday gifts.

The San Jose Rep’s version featured Dan Hiatt in the role of… well… everyone. It takes a fine performance to captivate an audience for 75 minutes. Granted it helps a lot when half of the scenes are replaying in the imagination of the audience for this familiar story. But, Hiatt did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life first in a 30 second version of the movie and then in the longer 75 minute version. The staging was also creatively envisioned and executed, bravo.