Snowflakes fell from the skies nonstop Tuesday night, hinting of the holidays to come and setting the stage for the Orange Barrel Production Company’s presentation of the beloved Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The show, under the direction of Michele Bayko, will be taking place the coming two weekends at The Harbor at The Salvation Army. The show portrays the trials that beset small-town businessman George Bailey, driving him to think that perhaps it would have been better for the world if he had never been born. In George’s moment of despair, an angel is sent from heaven to help him along. But the angel, a chatty Irishman named Clarence, has been ambling along for over 200 years without earning his angel wings. He’s given another chance to get it right and help turn George’s life around.
The play, based on Frank Capra’s classic 1946 film which starred Jimmy Stewart in one of his most famous roles, follows the same shape of telling George’s life story in flashbacks. Anchoring the show was Tony Montgomery, who not only plays the part of George Bailey. He even bears a striking resemblance to the young Jimmy Stewart. Montgomery shapes his performance of the role to recall Stewart, emphasizing George’s warmth and humanity without missing some moments to exhibit good comic timing in his dialogues with Clarence. The wayward angel was played with perky charm and a colorful accent by Ben Haws, displaying sharp timing as always.
Playing George’s nemesis, the evil bank director Mr. Potter, was veteran actor, teacher and director Joe Bell, who played up the character’s sinister cackle as Potter relishes his various schemes to undermine George. But Bell wasn’t the only familiar face from area stages to be seen in this production. Chuck Ransom played Mr. Gower, the town druggist distracted by his son’s death, with touching confusion and waywardness. Another familiar community face was Kelly Schermerhorn, who played the part of George’s father with gravity.
Courtney Schmitt played Mary Hatch, who marries George, with serene charm. The Bailey children were played effectively by Kaylee Van Winkle, Jacob Schermerhorn, Nathan Petersheim and little Maddy Lilly, who steals the scene as cute little Zuzu, complete with flower petals she wants her father to paste back onto the flower they fell from. The children did a fine job changing between acting scared of George when he loses his temper and rages, then embracing him when he realizes the value of his life and returns.
Brent Midcap was sympathetically addled as Uncle Billy, who is the one who unintentionally puts George in a spot by misplacing their business’ daily deposit. Taylor Bayko and Matt Schmitt were solid in their main roles of the cab driver Ernie and the cop Bert, but both had more fun playing broader characters in their alternate roles. Bayko played Sam Wainwright, George’s rival for Mary, with energy, while Schmitt was vivid and colorful as bartender Nick. Lily Haws as Ma Bailey brought matriarchal warmth and poise to her part, while Ben Bayko was upright and proud as George’s brother Harry, who goes on to be a war hero.
Space prohibits mentioning the entire cast by name, and director Michele Bayko has pulled off a coup simply fitting a cast and crew of 40 into The Harbor. Scenes and space were used creatively to fit everything and everyone in, culminating in a final scene where most of the characters return as the community pours out support for George, offering to make up for the missing money in order to repay a man who had helped all of them climb out of poverty to better lives. Even after so many years and so many repeats, this story makes a touching impact, because it is about a community of regular, small-town people uniting to reject greed and scheming in favor of the values of love, charity and human interaction. This production serves as a good reminder that the word “holiday” is exactly that: A holy day. There are things that matter more than profit and loss statements, especially in times like these.
The production will be performed on Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1, 6, 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. The performances on Dec. 1 and 8 are dinner theater style, with food served at 6:15 and curtain at 7 p.m. There will also be matinee performances on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. The Salvation Army Harbor is located at 208 E Ohio Avenue in Mount Vernon. Call 504-8847 for prices and reservations, or visit www.ohiodrama.com.
