Stageworks Theatre's THIS WONDERFUL LIFE Opens Tonight

Just in time for the Holiday Season, Tampa's very own Larry Alexander reinvents the Christmas Classic "It's a Wonderful Life" with "This Wonderful Life", a heartwarming one-man adaptation written by Steve Murray of the classic film which opens at Stageworks Theatre tonight, Dec. 3 and runs through Dec. 20.

More than 20 years after his last performance in Tampa, Alexander -- a Plant High School alumni -- returns home to play all 37 characters in a 70-minute performance described as "engagingly funny and then unexpectedly affecting" by The San Francisco Chronicle.

Hard to imagine that in 1947, when "It's a Wonderful Life" was released, the FBI issued a memo stating that the film was a potential "communist infiltration of the motion picture industry" because it cast a shady light on characters, such as Lionel Barrymore, by making them unpopular. But Alexander's rendition of George Bailey, Clarence and Mr. Potter will be at our de force performance that will remind audiences of the film's place as an American classic.

Directed by Karla Hartley, Stageworks' Producing Artistic Director, "This Wonderful Life" promises to be an unforgettable experience for Tampa
audiences. "This twist on 'It's a Wonderful Life' it's not only imaginative, but also brings out the true effect of such a great story about the impact a hard-working man can have on the people around him", Hartley said.

"This Wonderful Life" opens Dec. 3. For ticket and show information, visit www.stageworkstheatre.org or call 813-374-2416.