On Thursday, November 29th at 7 pm, Friday, November 30th at 7 pm, and Saturday, December 1st at 2 pm and 7 pm the Bel Air Drama Company put on a production of the holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life in the Bel Air High School auditorium.
The play starts off in a small town of Bedford Falls, with the main character George Bailey (Dan Bowley) about to commit suicide. George is stopped by a guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (J.C. Park) who is sent from the heavens to stop him so that Clarence can gain his wings. George believes that he has helped no one in his life and that everyone else would be better off without him.
The antagonist of the play, Henry F. Potter (Jonathan Frieswyk) owns a large majority of the shares in The Building and Loans, which used to be run by George’s uncle, Uncle Billy (Brendan Morrison). Uncle Billy passes and Aunt Tilly (Hope Daugherty) and George are left with the business. Potter wants to take over the Building and Loans so he can own the town, but instead, George is takes over the company so that Potter cannot take control of it. George gives up his dream of going to college and sends his brother Harry (Caleb Graham) instead.
George later wishes that he had never been born, and Clarence shows him the alternate universe where he hasn’t been born and the people he helped are completely different. His brother, who had fallen through the ice when they were kids, had died because Geroge was not there to save him. His boss, who Geroge had stopped from inadvertently poisoning a child, poisoned the child and went to jail for 20 years. Geroge had also never met his wife, Mary Hatch (Valerie Pasqualle). The town had been renamed Pottersville, George’s mother had opened a boarding house. But most importantly, Christmas was no longer celebrated in the new Bedford Falls, which was not nearly what it was with George.
As the play comes to its end, George realizes what a great life he used to have and begs to have his old life back, and his prayer is answered by the angels. He runs home to greet his family and friends, but the authorities are waiting to arrest him for Uncle Billy’s displacement of the $8000. The town pitches in enough to save George and his friend, Sam Wainright (Reed Kafer) sends him $25,000 making George the richest man in town. At the end of the play, George’s daughter Zuzu remembers being told that every time a bell rings an angel gains its wings. George finds the book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and inscribed on the cover, “Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends. P.S. Thanks for the wings! Love, Clarence.”
“The kids did a great job, and the audiences were pleased” said Mr. Bowden, technical director at Bel Air High School. Mr. Smith, the Managing Director said “The play was amazing, truly a moving experience for everyone involved in it.” The play was performed 4 times and according to Mr. Smith “For the most part 90% of the runs went smoothly.”
“Every performance will have glitches but everything ran smoothly,” Mr. Bowden said. The play had 19 scenes in total. Mr. Bowden’s favorite scene was “the final scene, when he (Geroge) is surrounded and realizes that it is a wonderful life.” Mr. Smith’s favorite scene was, “the alternative universe where George is a stranger and he hasn’t effected anyone’s lives.”