Downtown Cabaret Theatre

“The best Christmas show of the season!
If ever there is a show you want to see for the holidays it is this one. It’s worth the trip from anywhere!”
- Joanne Greco Rochman
Hersam Acorn Newspapers

It's a Wonderful Life:
A Live Radio Play
Adapted for the Stage by Joe Landry
Directed by Bert Bernardi

December 4-13, 2009
Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 5:30pm and 8:30pm
Sundays at 5:30pm

Tickets: $25

Tickets Now On Sale
Box Office: 203-576-1636

ABOUT THE SHOW:
This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.

Photos

Who's Who
	TESS BROWN (Sally Applewhite: Mary Hatch Bailey) is proud to be making her Downtown Cabaret Theatre debut with It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Her previous stage performances include: Cabaret (Sally Bowles), As You Like It (Jacques), The Shadow Box (Felicity), Macbeth (Witch III), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Suzanne) and 2008 Connecticut Critics Circle Award Nominee for play of the year The Shape of Things (Jenny) with Stamford Theatre Works. Tess is a member of the Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing program. Much love and thanks to Bert for this wonderful opportunity, her family and Kurt.
	MATTHEW DALY (Harry “Jazzbo” Haywood: Clarence Oddbody, AS-2 and Others) For almost two decades Matthew has been a part of the cabaret family, both on stage, and off. He has performed regionally as well as in Europe, and favorite roles include, Noble in Little Me, Father in Violet, Michael in Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks, Selznick in Moonlight and Magnolias, and Christopher in Charles Busch’s You Should Be So Lucky to name a few. Much love to his mother Eileen and his family for thier constant support.
	JIMMY JOHANSMEYER (Jake Laurents: George Bailey) continues his fifteen year association with Downtown Cabaret Theatre. For the Children’s Company he has appeared in and designed costumes for countless productions. And both he and his costume creations have been seen on the Cabaret’s mainstage. Jimmy has worked up and down the east coast from Tampa to Kennebunkport and everywhere in between including the off-Broadway production of Matthew Passion. Some of his favorite on-stage credits include leading roles in Grease, Joseph...Dreamcoat, The Foreigner and The Mystery of Irma Vep.
	MARIA VEE (Lana Sherwood: Violet Bick and Others) has performed in regional theaters, dinner theaters and tours around the country and has received critical acclaim for her cabaret show in NYC. She has appeared as Louise in Always, Patsy Cline in record breaking runs at five different theaters (and counting...) and has received NJ Bigbee awards for her roles as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday and Marion in The Music Man. Other favorite roles include Belle in Little Me, Carla in Nine and Helen Miller in the Big Band musical ofThe Glenn Miller Story. She is thrilled to call the Downtown Cabaret Children’s Company her “home” for the last ten years, and among those dozens of roles, she counts Queen Frostine as one of her favorites. She holds a BA from Duke, an MA from Columbia, and has traveled to study with Master artists from Estonia to Indonesia.
	ROBERT WATTS (Freddie Filmore: Henry F. Potter and Others) is delighted to return to the Downtown Cabaret Theatre stage after having previously appeared in Messhugah-Nuns! Other credits include Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace with Joan Copeland and Mia Dillon, Off-Broadway as Filippo Morello in Mulberry Street, Tito Merelli, the tenor, in the tour of Lend Me a Tenor and Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense: Amen! at Seven Angels Theatre. Rob’s play, The Penis Monologues: Men Speak recently ran Off-Broadway at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. Receiving his B.A. in Theatre, training in London, Rob also received his British Stage Fighting Certificate through R.A.D.A.
	BERT BERNARDI (Director) has been a part of the Downtown Cabaret Theatre for twenty-nine years. He has appeared onstage in countless mainstage productions and has directed dozens of shows from Stage Door Canteen to The Rocky Horror Show. Beyond DCT, his work has been seen locally at the former Boston Post Road Stage Company, Fairfield University and Theatreworks New Milford. Other stages include Cortland Repertory Theatre (NY), The Theater Barn (NY), Music Theatre North (NY), Millbrook Playhouse (PA), Arundel Barn Playhouse (ME) and Surflight Theatre (NJ). For his work as Artistic Director of DCT's Children's Company, he was given the Tom Killan Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre by the Connecticut Critics Circle. Thanks, Joe, for a lovely play!
	JOE LANDRY (Playwright) Joe’s plays have been produced across the country and internationally, and include Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play, Reefer Madness, Eve & Co., Beautiful, Hollywood Babylon and Numb. Joe attended Playwright’s Horizons/NYU, founded Second Guess Theatre Company in Connecticut and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He is currently developing new projects for the stage and screen. Joe is thrilled to be spending the holidays at the Downtown Cabaret - thanks so much to Bert, Hugh and everyone! Merry Christmas! www.joelandry.com

1947 Newsreel Clips