Review: 'It's A Wonderful Life' By Poolesville High School

By Maansi Suvarna, Clarksburg High School

A story of friendship, love, and Christmas. Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life was brought to the stage by Poolesville High School's The Midnight Players. This movie turned play is a story about George Bailey, a caring man who attempts to commit suicide on Christmas Eve, but is stopped by his guardian angel, who shows him how terrible life would be in Bedford Falls if George had never been born. Set during the Great Depression, It's A Wonderful Life tells the story of a Christmas miracle and the power of one person and many friends.

John Foster's portrayal of George Bailey was very well executed. Foster's diction and body movements added a layer of depth and personality to Bailey and his interactions with the cast moved the story and clearly reflected whether the scene was a flashback or in the present. The chemistry between Calley Mullin (Mary Hatch) and John Foster was evident in their acting and helped to create a genuine connection on stage. Jacob Pelzman (Mr. Potter) delivered his lines with good inflection and portrayed the age of his character very well. The townspeople embraced their individual characters and while at times, they were slightly modern, they added depth and personality to the show.

The various technical elements in this show were also solid. The makeup of Mr. Potter was evident from the audience and contributed to the effectiveness of his character. In addition, the props were time-period appropriate and helped to make the scenes more realistic and natural. The use of silhouettes was appropriate for the era, but sometimes, the placement of light was not accurate and took away from the scene. While some of the spotlights were shaky, the lights overall were good and contributed to the mood of the scene. In addition, when George is moving through the town, the use of set pieces and lighting helped to contribute to George's confused and concerned presence, as well as reduced confusion in terms of setting in the town. The sound crew was good and was able to maintain a reasonable volume of the mics and a very clear offstage sound with only a few small hiccups throughout the show. At times, there was a disconnect between the technical aspects and the acting, but overall, they were complementary and enhanced each other.

It's A Wonderful Life was a solid performance by Poolesville High School and conveyed the charm of the story well. The Midnight Players were very committed to their performance delivering the message of the play very well. Overall, this show was very nice and expressed a beautiful message - "no one is a failure who has friends."

Photo Credit: Adam Auel

From left to right: Sam Koeser, Cal Walton, Jacob Pelzman (seated), Aidan Auel