'This Wonderful Life' and Neil Casey Soar Like Angels

This Wonderful Life
By Steve Murray
Conceived by Mark Setlock
Directed by Jack Neary; Scenic Designer, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Designer, Stephanie Cluggish; Lighting Designer, John Cuff; Sound Designer, Dewey Dellay; Production Stage Manager, Nerys Powell; Assistant Stage Manager, Amy Weissenstein

Featuring Neil A. Casey as Narrator and the residents of Bedford Falls
Performances through December 22 at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Box Office 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage.com

Let us all rise and sing a chorus of "Hallelujah" to Neil A. Casey and the Lyric Stage Company for bringing a fabulous gift to Boston's holiday party with the New England premiere of Steve Murray's This Wonderful Life. Bedford Falls and all of its inhabitants, both beloved and loathed, come to life in the performance of just one man in this homage to Frank Capra's film, It's A Wonderful Life.

It is a treat when the local theatres offer more than the traditional Dickens play in December, but this production is a sheer delight, thanks to the prescience of Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos. When he read the script last year, he immediately thought of casting Neil Casey and only Casey. The actor never did a one-man show before and couldn't pass up the opportunity. Lucky for us! Director Jack Neary is at the helm of a solo act for the first time, but attributes their successful working relationship to a shared sense of humor and ethnic background.

For fans of the film, you'll recognize all of your favorite characters as introduced by Casey: Jimmy Stewart? A little stutter and a particular reshaping of the mouth, not to mention the familiar gesture of wiping his mouth with the back of his hand; Donna Reed? Just look dreamy and doe-eyed; Lionel Barrymore? Scrunch down in a chair with an evil, Cheney-like grin; and Sheldon Leonard? Unmistakably spot on as Nick, the gruff, tough guy bartender. Sam Wainwright, Uncle Billy, Bert, Ernie, Clarence, and Zuzu are all there, too. Twinkling lights represent the senior angels in heaven, and Casey voices them, as well (pre-recorded).

It is an accomplishment to learn all the lines and the blocking, an achievement to differentiate each of the 32 characters, but artistry to convey both the message and the magic of the story with such ease and joy to the audience. While Casey is best known locally for many great comic roles, he absolutely nails the dramatic moments in Life, especially when George is coming undone leading up to his attempted suicide, and again when he finally grasps how wonderful his life has been. Showing his serious side does nothing to diminish Casey's comedic chops and he plays the physical humor for all it's worth. Picture Neil as both George and Mary dancing the Charleston at the high school and tumbling into the (imagined) swimming pool, or gallivanting around the stage from prop to prop as he narrates an abbreviated version of the events at the opening of the show.

Actor and director certainly deserve equal credit for seamless transitions from one character to another, especially when love is blooming as George and Mary share a candlestick telephone and it almost seems as if there are two people in the scene. Neary establishes excellent pacing throughout and Casey is a master of comic timing. With these two, the pauses are often as entertaining as the action and the performance comes to its happy ending long before we're ready to leave Bedford Falls. All of the drama, laughs, and heartwarming schmaltz of the original are intact, yet the play stands on its own.

Jenna McFarland Lord has designed a black and white set to replicate the feel of the film. Each segment of the stage has a prop to represent a locale, from the "You Are Now Entering Bedford Falls" sign, to the front porch of the Bailey house, to Old Man Potter's desk, to the soda fountain at the pharmacy, to the staircase at 320 Sycamore, including the pesky loose newel. While Stephanie Cluggish dresses Casey in earth tones and a red striped necktie for a splash of color, Casey himself brightens the stage with his personality and the able assistance of John Cuff's lighting. Thanks to Dewey Dellay's sound design, we hear those heavenly angels loud and clear and know when Clarence gets his wings. George Bailey says, " 'Atta boy, Clarence!" I say, " 'Atta boy, Casey!"

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