Photos: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Celebrates Opening Night at Irish Rep

Now onstage at Irish Repertory Theatre is the 2025 holiday production, It’s A Wonderful Life!, adapted for radio from Frank Capra's 1946 film by Anthony E. Palermo and directed by Charlotte Moore (A Child’s Christmas in Wales). Featuring music direction by David Hancock Turner (The Butcher Boy), It’s A Wonderful Life! will run through December 31, 2025.

The cast for It’s A Wonderful Life! includes Rufus Collins (The Dead, 1904), Ali Ewoldt (A Child’s Christmas in Wales), Reed Lancaster (A Child’s Christmas in Wales), Leenya Rideout (Come From Away), and Ashley Robinson (A Child’s Christmas in Wales).

Step back in time to radio station W.I.R.T. on Christmas Eve, 1946, where Frank Capra’s holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life comes thrillingly to life before your eyes—and ears! Irish Rep’s celebrated production of It’s A Wonderful Life!, adapted by Anthony E. Palermo and directed by Charlotte Moore, reimagines the beloved film as a live radio broadcast filled with nostalgic songs, vintage commercials, and delightful handmade sound effects.

George Bailey, the kindest man in Bedford Falls, has always put others first—until one fateful night when he begins to doubt if his life has made a difference. Enter Clarence, a guardian angel still waiting to earn his wings, who shows George how the world would look if he had never been born. With six actors portraying more than two dozen unforgettable characters, this heartwarming production captures the magic of the Golden Age of Radio. It reminds us that “no one is a failure who has friends.” And yes—Clarence finally gets his wings.

Photo Credit: James Higgins