‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ performance starting Friday – Evening Observer

Dec 17, 2024
Submitted photo illustration From left, David Wysocki as George Bailey and Julia Niles as Mary Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Since his teen-aged years, Mike Thornton has been in love with the theater.
And he still is in love.
Growing up in Hartford, Conn., Thornton participated in summer theater, and he said the experience kept him and his three brothers out of trouble and off the streets.
“So what happened was we all kind of got the bug, and I was the only one that went into it as a living OK, but, I think all my brothers loved it. It’s an experience we never forgot,” Thornton said.
After graduating high school, Thornton graduated from the University of Connecticut’s, The Hartt School, a performance arts conservatory for music, dance and theater where he studied – ironically – singing and conducting. From Hartt, he went on to study at The Actors Studio in New York City.
David Wysocki
He said during his time in The Actors Studio is when he really got serious about acting.
Thornton was a lead performer with the nationally-known political satire group The Capitol Steps based in Washington, DC. Thornton also has been the Artistic Director of four professional theatres: The Mohawk Theatre, Berkshires, MA; Millbrook Playhouse, Mill Hall, PA; Impala Theatre Company, Washington, DC; and for “Swing Time: The Musical,” U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, DC.
As a jazz singer, Thornton has recorded two albums “Homeward,” and his first compact disc entitled “Step Back.” He also has performed around New York City and Washington, and jazz festivals around the United States.
Thornton will transport theater patrons back in time as he presents a unique version of the timeless classic tale “It’s a Wonderful Life,” at the Robert H. Jack Center’s Cappa Theatre, 305 E. Fourth St.
Thornton, who produces and acts in the production said it goes from screen to stage in the unique setting of a 1940s radio station, WMTA. Audience members will see a live reenactment of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the style of a vintage radio broadcast where actors bring to life the characters of George Bailey, Mary, Clarence, and the rest of the Bedford Falls community.
Julia Niles
“A radio play engages the audience in an authentic way – using sound effects, language and silence to create audio effects imagery,” Thornton said. “By carefully directing pace and volume, the audience is drawn further into a suspense of disbelief – engaging their imagination fully.”
Thornton said that auditions were held in October and that the cast, which includes Thornton, also was chosen in October.
Here is a list of the cast:
Ron Orbach, from Broadway and screen. Ron created a role on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” and starred in many shows around the country. Orbach just closed a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Stephen Stout, a Chautauqua resident and Broadway veteran of renowned shows such as “Heidi Chronicles,” “The Sisters Rosensweig,” and many others.
Julia Niles, Off Broadway, National tours and top regional theatre, including starring roles in “South Pacific,” Magnolia in “Show Boat,” Marian in “The Music Man.”
SAVAGE, MD — 6/9/15 — Actor portraits of Mike Thornton.…by André Chung #_AC19700
David Wysocki, a Buffalo actor and Artie Award recipient, appeared at Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and Irish Classical Theatre, among others.
Paige Cummings, from working stage and screen in Los Angeles.
Christine Porter, a Jamestown veteran actor, featured in many great leading roles around the area.
After performing many times with The Capitol Steps at the Chautauqua Amphitheater, Thornton fondly remembered the area, and during the pandemic, when his wife, were looking for a place to vacation and get away from the urban madness, they re-discovered Chautauqua, he said. The Thorntons eventually bought a house in Bemus Point, and now he splits his time between Washington, and here in the county. Using his decades of producing, performing and directing experience, he said, he is committed to bringing family entertainment to Jamestown.
The shows are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Thornton added that he is a big fan of the Swing Era and 1940s radio where one can close his or her eyes and hear the story unfold.
When audience members close their eyes, “everyone there will get their own experience,” Thornton said.
For more information about tickets visit roberthjackson.org or mtapresents.com.
A portion of the ticket sales benefit the Jackson Center, which advances the legacy of the late U.S Supreme Court Justice and Chief Prosecutor in Nuremberg through education through programming, exhibits, and scholarship.
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