Musical brings 'Wonderful Life' to Aiken stage

Bedford Falls and George Bailey are coming to Aiken for the holiday season.

The main stage at the Aiken Community Playhouse (ACP) will be transformed into the quaint town of Bedford Falls for the South Carolina premiere of the "It's a Wonderful Life: The Musical."

"This is the premiere of the musical in the Southeast," ACP Director Danny Lee said. "I found it on the Internet when I Googled the show. I knew I wanted to do a version of the show and thought there must be another version of the script out there. I found the musical version created by two guys (Bruce Greer and Keith Ferguson) in Texas."

The musical is an adaptation of the 1946 film directed by Frank Capra starring James Stewart and Donna Reed.

"The script is very true to the movie; it is almost word for word with music that moves the story along," Lee said. "The music is very reflective of old-time musicals. The minute I heard the music, I knew we had to do this because it is so fun. The music is beautiful, and the orchestrations are really cool."

The cast of more than 50 actors is anxious to share the spirit of the show with the community.

ACP veteran actor Shawn Maratea plays the lead of George Bailey.

"This is my first lead here, so it is exciting for me," Maratea said. "I really relate to my character because he is the person I want to be, always thinking about other people. He doesn't realize how wealthy he is in love and friendship and how important that really is; he has always thought about wealth in terms of money. I like George. This whole story as far as what it tells is something we should think about. We all touch each others' lives. When we are gone, all we leave behind is the memories. George examines what life would be like without him. There are parts in the play that move me to tears. It really opens your eyes to the things we take for granted."

Actress Juli Davis, who plays the role of Mary Hatch, confesses to having never seen the movie and has decided not to watch it so as not to be influenced in her presentation of the famous character.

"I absolutely love the show," Davis said. "It is a good, heart-warming Christmas story that appeals to all ages."

"It is a great holiday play with a overall uplifting and thought-provoking message," Maratea said. "It is exciting to do something that I feel like is going to affect the community."

The anticipation of the show has already caused the ACP to add an additional performance.

"We are already over 80 percent booked," Lee said. "If you want tickets, you better get them now."

"It's a Wonderful Life: The musical" opens on the ACP stage on Friday at 8 p.m. with shows to follow on Nov. 28, Dec. 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are available by visiting the ACP box office at 124 Newberry St. N.W., calling 648-1438 or visiting www.aikencommunityplayhouse.com.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

Want to Go?

What? "It's a Wonderful Life: The Musical"

When? Nov. 27, 28, Dec. 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

Where? Aiken Community Playhouse