Review of Taproot Theater’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” A Live Radio Play.
by Peter Vierthaler
I had only listened to a few radio plays in my life. I grew up in the era of television where the radio was just for music. The few radio plays that I had listened to were quite mesmerizing and left a lot to the imagination. I had no idea about what went on behind the scenes and how much effort went into producing a quality radio play. I was about to find out.
We arrived at Taproot’s temporary digs deep within the grey colossus of North Seattle Community College. Their permanent theater had been a victim to the Greenwood arsonist and had sustained considerable damage. The temporary venue was comfortable and worked well for this play.
Once the play began the action was nonstop. The six actors walked about the stage, scripts in hand, playing not just one character but several, often in the same scene. The timing was crucial, not just for the actors and their scripts but for the special effects scattered throughout the play.
I found myself smiling or laughing throughout. It wasn’t so much the story that I was laughing at but the movements of the actors and at the tools that were used to make the sound effects. A real car door, mounted in a wooden frame was used when George was picked up by a friend. A clever wooden device was used to replicate footsteps on a stair, another device for footsteps through the snow and so much more.
I really felt that for a brief period I had stepped back in time. The combination of this story and the behind the scenes look at the radio show worked well together. They brought me back to a simpler time when commercialism hadn’t yet run rampant and family and friends were the priority.
Hurry, you won’t want to miss this! It runs nightly through December 30th.
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