INTERVIEW: Irish Rep turns on the radio for ‘It’s a Wonderful Life!’
Photo: It’s a Wonderful Life! stars, from left, Ashley Robinson and Rufus Collins. Photo courtesy of Carol Rosegg / Provided by Print Shop PR with permission.
NEW YORK — There’s no argument to be had: Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is the best Christmas movie of all time. The James Stewart film is like a more modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with a down-on-his-luck everyman realizing his life’s worth before it’s too late. The story is not explicitly about Christmas (except that final scene when a bell rings), but the messaging is exactly what’s needed this and every holiday season.
The Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City has brought back its much beloved radio version of It’s a Wonderful Life! for a limited engagement through the holiday season. Audience members should expect essentially the same story as the movie, but this radio play, which was adapted by Anthony E. Palermo, has the actors vocally performing the characters at microphones, as if they were broadcasting live on WIRT in 1946. That WIRT station name is a loving reference to the Irish Repertory Theatre itself.
Rufus Collins, with his radio-ready voice, portrays several characters in the 70-minute production, and recently he exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox to talk about the holiday season; his discovery of It’s a Wonderful Life this Thanksgiving season; and his thoughts on the production’s director, Charlotte Moore. Collins is an alum of Irish Rep, having previously performed in Translations and The Dead, 1904. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
You’ve returned to the Irish Rep once again. What do you love about this theater company?
The Irish Rep has created a sprawling and vibrant community of theater artists — playwrights, actors, directors, designers, stage managers, etc. Every artist becomes part of the permanent “company.” I don’t know of any other NYC theater that does this. It means that for me, as for so many other New York actors, the Rep has become a kind of theatrical home.
Are you a fan of It’s a Wonderful Life the movie?
I must admit that I didn’t know the film nearly as well as most people my age. Thus, I was amused, and somewhat alarmed, to discover at Thanksgiving that my brother’s family and in-laws know the film backward and forward, every word of every scene. I’ve watched again since then and have come to understand that its beloved text is approaching the status of scripture. It is so extremely moving despite some of its dated elements.
Why do you think this story works so well in 2025?
At a time when our political leaders are attempting to sow division between us, this film, with its pro-community, pro-immigrant message, hits home. The importance of societal interdependence versus mere personal ambition is as true now as it was then, perhaps even more so.
How does this staging work? What makes a radio play different?
I don’t think the radio concept would work as well if the story and text of It’s a Wonderful Life were not well known. In a related way, there wouldn’t be much point, in my opinion, in a conventional stage adaptation — it’s a perfect work of art as a film. But the radio framework gives our studio audience — the audience — a chance to imagine themselves hearing the broadcast over the airwaves. We are asking them to delete, imaginatively, the visual element while simultaneously watching us interact physically, create sound effects, swap in and out of multiple characters. Of course, there is no actual radio audience, but our theater audience is, as it were, in on the fun.
What’s it like working with director Charlotte Moore?
Charlotte Moore is living legend — co-founder, director, visionary. I worked with her first on Brian Friel’s Translations more than 15 years ago. She is an actors’ director, which means that, having been an actor herself, she understands the process of developing a performance over time. She knows how to create an ensemble and how to bring the best out of it. Charlotte is plain-spoken, generous, kind and is certainly the most mischievous director in the business.
Are you generally a fan of the holiday season?
I love the holiday season but especially when I’m working. A gig allows an actor to provide holiday cheer without having to attend any dreary holiday parties.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
It’s a Wonderful Life!, featuring Rufus Collins, continues at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City through Dec. 31. Click here for more information and tickets.
