The 1946 holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has been charming audiences for almost 80 years. A radio play adaptation has taken to the stage of the Old City Performing Arts Center in Knoxville this year. But in this version, the whole cast of 50 characters is portrayed by just five actors.
“There are some shows you just leave smiling and this is one of those,” said Scott Baron, the show’s director.
This is the second year of the local River and Rail Theatre Company’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” which is a play within a play. It’s set during a 1940s Christmas Eve radio production of the iconic story.
Baron said it was a challenge to present the familiar story and characters on the stage, while still presenting a unique take.
“How much can we pay tribute to this movie, while still providing enough new nuance and choices in the production to justify doing it and not just showing a movie,” Baron said.
He credited the five actors for their unique approach to each character. Actor Amara Pappas, for example, was able to approach the role of Mary from a completely fresh perspective, having never seen the film before.

“And I'm really grateful for that perspective,” Pappas said. “Because I did not personally have a lot of expectations coming in, and I was able to kind of find the character of Mary on my own before watching the movie. And I'm very thankful for that, because I think Mary is a very complex character that can kind of be put into a box sometimes.”
Pappas also talked about the complexity added by the multi-layered performance.
“We've been able to play kind of two characters because this is a show within a show where, in the 1940s we are these actors doing the live radio production of It's a Wonderful Life,” Pappas said. “So I get to play Sally Applewhite, the 1940s actress, playing Mary Hatch Bailey. So you get to show people how an actor is approaching a character, not just yourself.”
Co-star Christopher Pelant portrays sixteen characters, including the meek Uncle Billy and the conniving villain Henry F. Potter, and talks to himself at times during the production.
“I think we all have multiple personality disorder, that's a definite,” Pelant said. “I think that establishing a vocal pattern, establishing maybe even a look on your face, that is different character to character, so that the audience knows that you're kind of popping in and out of different characters.”
The play also uses “foley,” or live sound effects made from everyday objects. What might sound like footsteps in the snow, is actually the crunching of cereal.
“That's literally most people's favorite moment of foley in the show is Guthrie, as George, walks through the snow and he's running through the snow, and he runs through a pan of corn flakes,” Pelant said. “And everybody just loves that part out of all the foley.”

The actors play the foley effects at just the right moment, to really make the audience feel as if they’re there.
“You can just close your eyes and literally picture yourself in a ‘40s or ‘50s household sitting around the radio listening to it,” Baron said.
So far, the production has been a success, and might just become a new Christmas tradition for the Knoxville area.
"We just get to do Christmas every day,” Pappas said. “You don't always get to do Christmas a whole lot anymore. You're busy. And we get to show up and just do Christmas, and give people Christmas. And I think that's such a joyful thing.”
The River and Rail Theatre Company will be presenting “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” starring Guthrie Butler, Amara Pappas, Brady Craddock, Christopher Pelant and Celeste Pelletier, through December 22. More information can be found at the company's website.
You can listen to a full interview with Pappas, Pelant and Director Scott Baron here.