The Stage

New Wolsey Theatre to adapt It’s a Wonderful Life for the stage

Published Monday 3 August 2009 at 16:03 by Lalayn Baluch

The New Wolsey Theatre is to launch its autumn season with the world premiere of the stage adaptation of 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life.

The show will feature a cast of 17 actors, including seven local youngsters who will be selected through an open audition process.

The screenplay of the film, which originally starred James Stewart, has been adapted for the stage by Steve Brown, who wrote the music for Spend, Spend, Spend – the story of pools winner Viv Nicholson, which went onto win two Olivier Awards and an Evening Standard Award for Best New Musical when it was first staged in 1999.

It’s a Wonderful Life will be directed by New Wolsey Theatre artistic director Peter Rowe, and will be produced in association with Avalon Productions.

The show will run from September 10 until October 3.

Other season highlights include Noise Ensemble’s Cacophoy, Roger McGough’s adaptation of Moliere’s The Hypochondriac presented by English Touring Theatre, and the Watermill Theatre’s Hot Mikado, created in 2006 by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and Tony Award-winning orchestrator Sarah Travis.