APT's one-man 'Wonderful Life' is a comic Christmas gift

By Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times

Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! George Bailey is back in a new one-man show from American Players Theatre, gift wrapped at Broadway on Demand and adapted for the very small screen.

“This Wonderful Life,” available to stream through Dec. 29, is a retelling of, homage to and wry commentary on Frank Capra’s beloved 1946 film. Like the movie, it’s often poignant and relatable, with character types we recognize (the shy ingénue, the loudmouth buddy, the drunken uncle).

Unlike the film, playwright Steve Murray has adapted the story and all its characters for a single actor. Here that actor is Nate Burger, an APT core company member who combines the energy of a chaos Muppet with a storyteller’s gift for imagery and nuance.

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