Enjoy a fresh spin on classic tale at ECC Arts Center

Travel back to the Golden Age of Radio with “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre” at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 21. This charming and heartwarming stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s beloved film puts a simultaneously new and nostalgic spin on a holiday classic. The performance begins at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre” is set on Christmas Eve in 1945. Due to a blizzard, only a handful of WVL Radio’s employees were able to make it to the station for a live broadcast of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” To save their radio station from a winter storm’s doom, the four employees manage to create iconic movie characters and scenes using just their voices and a sound effects table. Despite the obstacles, the small but intrepid troupe succeeds in telling an uplifting story of struggle, triumph, and the power of community.

Capra’s film “It’s a Wonderful Life” is an undisputed holiday treasure. This stage adaptation of Capra’s screenplay was created by the Immediate Theatre Project in 2009. Its message of hope and optimism remains essential, timely, and the perfect antidote to holiday cynicism.

On Milwaukee says “’It's a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre’ forces you to acknowledge that sometimes, even your favorite films deserve a fresh approach […] Their take on the personal journey of George Bailey honors what you love about the story while encouraging your imagination to take a starring role.”

Tickets to “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre” are $29. Tickets are available for purchase online at http://tickets.elgin.edu and by phone at 847-622-0300. The ECC Arts Center is located in Building H on Elgin Community College’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. The ECC Arts Center can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/eccartscenter and Twitter @eccartscenter.