It’s based on a story that’s more than 75 years old, but the message of It’s a Wonderful Life still resonates. In fact, for Peter Jorgensen, it’s a message the world needs to hear now more than ever.
The New Westminster resident is directing this December’s Gateway Theatre production of It’s a Wonderful Life, onstage Dec. 6 to 31. Jorgensen created the musical adaptation based on the 1946 Frank Capra film and Philip Van Doren Stern’s original 1939 short story, The Greatest Gift.
The story has become synonymous with Christmas for generations of movie lovers: the tale of George Bailey, who despairs and considers suicide on Christmas Eve until an unconventional guardian angel appears to guide him back to hope. Its overriding message - that sometimes the greatest impact comes from living a seemingly “ordinary” life - is one that resonates with Jorgensen, in the face of the complicated problems facing the planet in the 21st century.
“Sometimes it’s overwhelming, and we stop and think, ‘Should I just abandon everything and go and help build a school in a Third World country? What do I do to make this world a better place? Do I give up my life and stand in protest lines for the rest of my life to make enough noise to change the world?’” Jorgensen muses.
Some might, in fact, do just that. But for others, Jorgensen says, the power to make a better world rests in “keeping the home fires burning” – in making their own homes and communities and daily lives better by meeting them with kindness and compassion.
“It’s not just the wonderful life of George; it’s the universal life that we should all be grateful for, and that we should all be recognizing that we should be doing something that matters – and not in big ways,” Jorgensen says. “I think that’s another great thing about George and the story of Bedford Falls, is George isn’t a war hero, he doesn’t go off to World War II, he doesn’t do anything mind-blowing that kind of rocks the world. He changes the world in small ways for the people around him, in his community, and that makes a huge difference.”
Jorgensen first created the musical adaptation of the story for Chemainus Theatre in 2013. Searching for a way to integrate music into the classic story, Jorgensen hit upon the idea to use existing songs that were written during the era in which the story takes place. The result is a piece of theatre that uses songs from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s from some of the greatest songwriters of the period – think George and Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill – as well as some familiar Christmas tunes.
“Using music from the era really immediately transports people to a time and a place,” Jorgensen says. “The songs really integrated well with Capra’s dialogue.”
Jorgensen concedes it can be a challenge to reinvent something that has become a classic for so many viewers.
“For me, there was a balance I was trying to hit. I feel, if you want to see the movie, you should watch the movie. I want to give you the theatrical interpretation of that show because you can’t just do the movie onstage; you can’t do the movie better than the movie,” he says.
Jorgensen notes that the songs and dance numbers – accompanied by a 10-piece orchestra, with arrangements and orchestrations by Nico Rhodes - help to reinterpret the story in a “beautifully theatrical” way.
Of course, any adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life relies heavily on characters whom the audience will fall in love with – and on that front, Jorgensen says, this production is a winner. Nick Fontaine as George Bailey and Erin Aberle-Palm as his wife, Mary, are “really lovely” in the two familiar roles, the director says. Both are bringing their own interpretations of the characters to the stage rather than trying to recreate the movie roles made so familiar by Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
“They’re just really delightful together; they’ve got a great chemistry,” Jorgensen says. “They’re so charming; your heart goes out to both of them on the stage.”
Another winner for Jorgensen is Greg Armstrong-Morris, who appears as Clarence – a character who spends more time onstage than he did on screen in the classic film. Creating a new interpretation of the bumbling angel was a particular challenge for Armstrong-Morris, whom Jorgensen describes as one of those “Wonderful Lifeaphiles” who’ve watched the show every Christmas and can pretty much recite it off by heart.
“Clarence is one of those characters I played with the most,” Jorgensen says. “Onstage we see him right off the bat; we watch Clarence watching George’s life unfold. I’ve played with ways to integrate him into the theatrical life of the show.”
Yes, Jorgensen says, audiences can expect to see most of the pivotal moments from the movie unfold onstage – and yes, Zuzu, who’s played by Kenzie Fraser (who happens to study acting at The Stage New West) does indeed have petals. (The only big moment that will be missing is the moment the gym floor opens and George and Mary end up going for an accidental swim – since, Jorgensen laughs, theatre budgets don’t generally extend to such set pieces.)
Jorgensen is hoping that audiences will find the show’s message of hope as relevant as he does.
“I think maybe we really don’t pause enough to recognize all the small ways that people have a positive effect in our lives. I also think maybe we don’t pause enough to consider that we matter in the life of others,” Jorgensen says.
Jorgensen is dedicating the show to his own “angel” – his sister, who died of cancer when she was just 24 years old.
“You live long enough, eventually you lose someone close to you,” Jorgensen says through choked-back tears. “There’s a lot of people who just viscerally know what Clarence says to George, that when a life is taken away, it leaves an awful hole.
“That’s another beautiful reminder that the show gives the audience, that life, just life, life on its very own, is a beautiful and wonderful thing.”
If you’re thinking that maybe, just maybe, the show might make you a tad emotional, you’re probably right.
“I just want people to leave feeling full, full of all the good things,” Jorgensen says. “I want them to leave the theatre feeling like they want to give the person they came with a great big hug.”
CHECK IT OUT
What: It’s a Wonderful Life, presented by Gateway Theatre
Where: Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Rd., Richmond
When: Preview Dec. 6, 8 p.m.; opening night Dec. 7, 8 p.m. Shows 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (except Dec. 11, 25 and 26), with weekend matinees Dec. 8, 9, 16, 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Special tea matinee Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m., and weekday matinee Dec. 26 at 2 p.m. After-play discussions on Dec. 12 and 14, and Talkback Thursday on Dec. 13. VocalEye described performances (for audience members who are blind or partially sighted) on Dec. 19 and 23.
Tickets: Prices start at $29. Buy through tickets.gatewaytheatre.com or 604-270-1812.
