IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE sets Broadway premiere this festive season with all-star cast
This festive season, It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, will have its Broadway premiere at the Broadhurst Theatre from 4 November - 3 January.
Adapted for the stage by Joe Landry and based on the story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern, the play transports audiences to a 1940s radio studio, where a company of celebrated actors gathers to perform Frank Capra’s timeless classic, live on-the-air, complete with a foley artist and holiday carols.
Five of stage and screen's most beloved and dynamic stars will bring a bevy of Bedford Falls characters to life for the Broadway debut of It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Two-time Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (Gutenberg!, The Book of Mormon) leads the company as George Bailey, opposite two-time Tony nominee Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her, Smash) as Mary Bailey. Six-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess (Oh, Mary!, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) earns his wings as Clarence and others, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Harry Hamlin (L.A. Law, Mad Men) takes on the villainous Mr. Potter and others, and four-time Emmy nominee Lisa Rinna (Days of Our Lives, The Traitors) plays Violet and others.
Director Jerry Zaks said: ”This story has touched the hearts of millions for generations, and I'm thrilled to now be bringing it to the Broadway stage this holiday season with this sensational cast of musical theater, television, and comedy greats. This production's unique format as a radio play calls back to the charm of a bygone era, while also folding in exciting surprises to thrill modern audiences, making for a memorable and joyful holiday experience for all!"
The design team for the Broadway production includes Tony Award-winning costume and set designer Santo Loquasto, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, sound designer Palmer Heffernan, musical director Andy Einhorn, and casting director Taylor Williams, CSA.