For good reason, the American Film Institute put It's A Wonderful Life at the very top of its list of the 100 most inspiring movies, and it typically tops the list of the movie Americans most want to see at Christmas time.
Something about the angel Clarence bringing George Bailey back from the brink of suicide to a Bedford Falls neighborhood sing-a-long of Auld Lang Syne consistently gives us our annual dose of hope that no problem is as bad as it seems.
Add a bevy of song and dance to the classic and that's what Randy Wilson's Theatre Company is serving up today and for the next two weekends.
It's A Wonderful Life -- The Musical started it's Theatre Company run Friday night and will wrap up the first weekend at 2 p.m. Sunday at the playhouse behind JoAnn's Fabrics, in the Tejas Center in Bryan. There are nine more public performances, plus a special show for a College Station Sunday School class that bought out the house for its annual Christmas party.
Wilson, who not only directs the musical but regularly greets patrons, tears their tickets and serves pop at intermission, says It's a Wonderful Life is the musical version last seen in New York starring David Hyde Pierce, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Judy Kuhn.
The musical score is by the late Joe Raposo, composer of such Sesame Street hits as Bein' Green. Raposo is also rumored to be the inspiration for the character of Cookie Monster. Indeed, we've all been told and believe that Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie were named after the policeman Bert and cab driver Ernie from the classic film.
The script and lyrics are by Sheldon Harnick who wrote the scores for Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello! and Tenderloin.
While the movie -- starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell and Henry Travers -- was released at Christmas in 1946, the musical rendition was first performed at the University of Michigan 40 years later.
In the early '90s it had a successful run in Washington, D.C., and then again 11 years ago at the Majestic Theater in Dallas.
The music adds to what stands alone as one of the classic comeback stories of all time. "There are some beautiful songs," Wilson said, listing Not What I Expected, Precious Little and Christmas Gifts.
The Theatre Company cast includes some 29 adults and another dozen what Wilson calls "very well behaved" kids.
Theatre Company President Mark Taylor steps out of the board room to play the male lead, George Bailey, while Melissa Hoernes fills the role of George's wife, Mary Hatch Bailey. Nick Shepherd plays Guardian Angel Clarence, Jay Thompson plays Matthew the executive angel and J. Paul Teel is the dastardly villain, rich guy Henry Potter.
The young cast members are Ashlyn Workman (Beth Bailey), Jack Hall (Tommy Bailey), Janie Kate Jordan (Zuzu Bailey) and kids of Bedford Falls Ike Taylor, J.T. Epps, Lucas Smith, Katie Jones, Krista Bligh and Brendon Bligh, along with Rebekah, Emily and Luke Hubacek (an obvious family affair as mom Lisa Hubacek plays Mary's mother, Lillian Hatch).
"It's a show that has been requested over and over again down the years," Wilson said. "And I took the plunge this year. I would heartily recommend bringing the whole family -- dad, mom, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma and grandpa. You'll come away ripe and ready for the joy of Christmas."
After today's 2 p.m. matinee, It's A Wonderful Life will continue the next two weekends with shows at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
'Christmas Belles'
There are two weekends left of StageCenter's Christmas Belles, a comedy about the people of the mythical town of Fayro, Texas, and their attempt to put on a Christmas pageant.
Ciara Ressler directs such regulars as Harold Presley, Sara Vanya, Amy Ressler and Nancy Woods.
The show will run for the next two Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 at the StageCenter house, 201-B W. 26th St. in downtown Bryan.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. Advance tickets are available at the Arts Council building at 2275 Dartmouth St. in College Station. Call 696-2787 or go to www.stagecenter.net for more information.
Garrison Keillor
Every year when OPAS announces its upcoming schedule, all ears are open for that occasional "celeb" that might grace the Rudder stage. This season, it's Garrison Keillor, who fortunately for us and much moreso for him, recovered quickly from a stroke he suffered Sept. 7, and the show goes on.
The show, starring the 67-year-old endurable creator of A Prairie Home Companion, is simply titled "An Evening with Garrison Keillor" and is the fourth of six main stage offering of this 37th season of MSC OPAS.
It's a one-night performance Tuesday at 7:30 at Rudder Auditorium, and fans should call 845-1234 right now or go to www.mscopas.com to find out whether any seats are still available.
Keillor consistently offers the comedian's textbook on how dry, clean humor has for decades really worked, and still can even in the 21st century. He'll tell stories that his long-time fans have heard before and yet will laugh at again -- tales of being reared in the American Midwest, the townfolks of Lake Wobegon and late-life fatherhood.
Save the date:
* Today: A&M Consolidated High School theater department presents Seussical the Musical, 3 p.m., $10, in the A&M Consolidated Theater
* Today: Texas A&M University Choral Activities presents "The Holiday Spirit of Aggieland," featuring the Singing Cadets, Women's Chorus, and Century Singers, 3 p.m. Rudder Auditorium (845-5975, choralactivities.tamu.edu)
* Today: Navasota Theatre Alliance presents The Baddest Angel Band, 2 p.m. (936-825-3195, navasotatheatre.com)
* Sunday-Jan. 31: Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents "From Earth to the Universe" (776-2195, brazosvalleymuseum.org)
* Thursday: Navasota Theatre Alliance presents its Annual Membership Drive Christmas Gala (936-825-3195, navasotatheatre.com)
* Thursday-Dec. 19: Stage Center presents Christmas Belles, a Southern Christmas Farce, 7:30 p.m. (823-4297, stagecenter.net)
* Thursday and Dec. 17: American Guild of Organists presents Advent Recitals, 12:30 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church in College Station (696-0452)
* Friday-Saturday: A&M Consolidated Choir presents A Taste of Christmas, 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, AMC Theater (731-2162)
* Friday-Dec 20: The Theatre Company presents It's a Wonderful Life, 7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays (779-1302, theatrecompany.com)
* Saturday: Brazos Valley Chorale presents its Christmas Favorites Holiday Concert, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church in Bryan (776-1776, bvchorale.com)
* Saturday: International Festival-Institute at Round Top presents the Gay Men's Chorus of Houston, 3 p.m. (249-3129, festivalhill.org)
* Dec. 17: Arts Council of Brazos Valley presents Carols & Canapés, 5:30-8 p.m. (696-2787, acbv.org)
* Dec. 19: Brenham Children's Chorus presents its Christmas Concert, 2 p.m., Brenham High School (979-277-6540, brenhamchildenschorus.com)
* Dec. 31: International Festival-Institute at Round Top presents its New Year's Eve Gala, 7:30 p.m. (979-249-3129, festivalhill.org)
* All month: Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley offers various programs, including Monday Madness, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (779-5437, www.mymuseum.org)
* Tom Turbiville is The Eagle's arts columnist. He's also sports director for WTAW-1620AM Radio. E-mail him at tom.turbiville@ theeagle.com.
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