A can't-miss tradition, American Blues Theater’s “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!” is back live and "on-air"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Whether frantically searching for gifts, freezing in sinking temperatures, or grumbling over snow-route street parking tickets, we stress over each logistical hurdle that winter holiday season has to offer. (Not to mention the stresses particular to 2021.) Yet somewhere in this din lies the quiet rest of winter, a time for recollection, a time to reevaluate what truly matters. American Blues Theater provides abundant room for such quiet and comfort, graciously, warmly, and candidly ringing in the holiday season with It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!
Performed in the style of a Forties-era radio play performed and presented for a live audience – and complete with “commercial breaks” and audiograms from audience members — American Blues’ annual commitment to such intimately familiar material (this is their twentieth mounting) is anything but stale, graced as it is with a lively cast, peerless designers, and clever direction, It’s a WonderfulLife: Live in Chicago! is sure to fill audiences with the mirth and wonder of the holiday spirit.
Director Gwendolyn Whiteside cleverly manages the colorful voice cast around a three-microphone setup. The constant rotation of characters adds a sense of visual motion while the plot clips along, and distance from the microphones is used to great theatrical effect. This small, multi-talented ensemble fills Bedford Falls with lovable characters and tasteful music of the season. Michael Mahler serves as music director and one-man band for this merry band of players on the air.
With cellist and American sweetheart Yuchi Chiu, the amazing Audrey Billings, the daring Dara Cameron, the magnificent Manny Buckley, the bold Brandon Dahlquist, and show-running Shawn J. Goudie, American Blues Theater wraps its gift with a bow to be lovingly delivered by a winning cast.
While the premise of this show is primarily auditory, no expense is spared on visual splendor. Scenic designer Grant Sabin decks the halls with colorful and cozy decor. Katy Peterson Viccellio sets Sabin’s set aglow with warm holiday lights that occasionally fade into a dark starlit sky. Christopher J. Neville ensures that the cast is donned in gay apparrel to match the 1940s flair.
With gatherings and gift-givings fast approaching, it’s easy to get lost in tight scheduling and tighter budgets. In an effort to elucidate all that enraptures our hearts, American Blues Theater gives space for giving thanks – a reminder to care for our needs, and not our greed. In the wake of unwavering adversity, it is refreshing to see a theatre company that is focused and committed to producing art of substance and quality. To reflect, to reaffirm, and to rediscover gratitude in tumultuous times, go no further than American Blues Theater.
It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! runs through December 31st at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N Lincoln Ave. For tickets or more information, please click here.