A WONDERFUL LIFE Music Joe Raposo; Book and Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; Based on the film A Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra. First presented in 1991 Washington DC; Broadway Concert version Shubert Theatre, 2005, Paper Mill Playhouse Production 8th November, 2006 - 17th December, 2006 SYNOPSIS The story closely follows the original plot of the film, set in 1945, telling the story of a suicidal man whose guardian angel reveals to him how different the world, and everyone whose life he has touched, would be had he never been born. The film was, in turn, based on a 1938 short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called The Greatest Gift. Story As a child, George risked his own life to save his brother from drowning. As he grew older, his countless small deeds mattered very much in the lives of the Bedford Falls townspeople. George prepares to leave town and go to college to fulfill his dream of building skyscrapers. However, when his father, the president of the small Bailey Building and Loan Company, dies, George postpones his dreams, manages the family company, and finds happiness in his marriage to Mary Hatch. When Uncle Billy accidentally misplaces company funds, George faces financial ruin and almost certain imprisonment. Seeing no way out, he runs to the bridge over the river, prepared to plunge to his death. Enter Clarence, George's lovable, bumbling guardian angel, who has come to Bedford Falls to prove to George that his life is worth living and to earn wings for himself. He grants George one wish: to see what the world would be like if he had never been born. Suddenly Bedford Falls is a very unpleasant place: the bustling small town main street is lined with pool halls and saloons; none of his friends or family recognize him, not even his beloved wife, Mary, who, in this world without him, is a prim spinster. Pursued by police, George returns to the bridge and begs to have his life back. Clarence grants it and George runs home to find his children, his wife, and a town that rallies to support him. Finally, George comes to realize…it truly is a wonderful life. MUSICAL NUMBERS Act I • George’s Prayer (George, Harry,Potter, Sam and the Ensemble) • This Year Europe (George and the Ensemble) • One of the Lucky Ones/Can You Find Me a House (Tom and George) • In a State (Sam) • A Wonderful Life (Sam, M.C., George, Mary and the Ensemble) • If I Had a Wish (George and Mary) • One of the Lucky Ones (Reprise) (George, Tom and the Ensemble) • Wings (Clarence, Joseph and the Ensemble) • Ruth/On To Pittsburg (Harry and George) • Good Night (George and Mary) • Not What I Expected (Mary, George and the Ensemble) • Panic at the Loan Building (George, Billy and the Ensemble) • A Wonderful Life - Reprise (Mary and George)
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