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Theatre listings > It's A Wonderful Life. - Scottish Tour. Adaptor - Simon Beattie based on Frank Capra's film of the same name. Director - Bruce Strachan. Costume - Anna Pugh. Lighting Designer - Germaine Williams. Choreographer - Chris Wilson. Company - Nonsenseroom Productions, Company Website. Cast - here . 2003 Tour Dates and Times - here . Seen to review at Gateway Theatre Edinburgh on 21 December 2004. Run Time - 2hours 5 mins including 15 mins interval. Reviewer - Thelma Good. Clear sharp acting & simplicity wins. Five young actors and a relatively new artistic team have produced a well tuned stage version of Frank Capra's film. Simon Beattie's intelligent script is strongly served by Bruce Strachan's direction. It all suggests their ambitious 2005 season will be well worth making time for. On this showing their artistic approach is for clear sharp acting and simplicity in sets - a winning combination. Almost everyone has seen the film several times so why bring it to the stage? Well it has an special impact on audiences with its emotional core rooted in the sentiment we long to believe that there is no such thing as an insignificant life. It's an impact heightened in this stage dramatisation. Take a hanky, even the seemingly unruffled man next to me remarked, There can be nothing wrong with something that nearly brings me to tears." The woman on my other side was awash. So what is it that moves? In this production, Tim Barron is outstanding as George Bailey who wants to leave to get somewhere but never gets out of Bedford Falls, a small American town. He's awkward and gangly as a young man but as he grows into man and fatherhood we see he cares not only for himself. His unease about never "making it big" or "getting on" as we call it is received with palpable agreement by the audience. Bailey tries to be a good businessman, with his goofish uncle Billy, played pretty convincingly by the actually too young Paul Beeson, at home is his oh so good wife Mary. Lois Creasy makes Mary's love and her depth of commitment touchingly believable. As both the ancient business rival Potter and the apprentice angel Clarence, Colin Scott-Montcrieff largely succeeds and Adrienne Marie Zitt does well with a number of cameo characters. The Capra film is alluded to in projected image,s including a recreated scene in the snow, and Germaine Williams' lighting adds to production's well thought out approach. Look out for them in 2005. © Thelma Good 21 December 2004 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com This company has also produced another Simon Beattie script, The Apprentice which appear at 2003 and 2004 Edinburgh Fringe. For Next year the company intend to produce in January The Adventures of Robert Burns, in May Romeo and Juliet, a 2005 Edinburgh Fringe production and in December A Christmas Carol. Cast: George Bailey - Tim Barron, Mary Bailey - Lois Creasy, Clarence and various other characters - Colin Scott-Montcrieff, Ma Bailey and various other characters - Adrienne Marie Zitt and Uncle Billy and various other characters - Paul Beeson. 2004 Tour Details. Started at Rosslyn Chapel and has toured to several places including 11 Dec at 3pm & 7pm Selkirk Bowhill Theatre 01750 22204. 21& 22Dec at 7:30pm Edinburgh Gateway Theatre 0131 317 3939. 23 Dec at 7.30 pm Arbroath Webster Theatre 01241 872609. Tour ends. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Theatre listings >
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