





It's A Wonderful Life:
A Live Radio Play
at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
​
Director: Giovanna Sardelli
Adapted by: Joe Landry
Original Screenplay by: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling
Cast: Moses Villarama, Sarita Ocón, Luisa Sermol, Phil Wong and Todd Cerveris
Set designer: Christopher Fitzer
Costume designer: Cathleen Edwards
Lighting designer: Steven B. Mannshardt
Sound designer: Jane Shaw
Photographer: Kevin Berne

Just when so many of us are despairing that our world is so broken it can never be repaired, along comes It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play to suggest otherwise. This gorgeous new production at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, while set in the 1940's, depicts a community that looks not unlike our own as it goes through the depths of despair only to band together and defy the bullies that would destroy it… it has largely been directed by Giovanna Sardelli with a much lighter touch that tamps down any tendency toward obvious yuks, and thus allows the humanity of the characters to shine through. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of humor to be found, often with multiple visual and aural jokes going on simultaneously, but it is presented with a subtlety that allows you to discover it on your own. Even for those who come in knowing the story like the back of their hand, this is a production that rewards you for sitting up and paying attention.