A lot of people who love the holidays can recite lines from Frank Capra's popular 1946 film 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Well, rather than simply bring the movie to the stage, Falcon Theatre retells the story as a radio drama, re-creating a radio studio with three sound effects artists, a stentorian announcer, electric organ, three cute singers for ads and a cast of voice talents who play multiple roles.  

I annually face the holidays with mixed emotions. I love the holiday season, but I also know that it means I'll be in overdrive, attending numerous theatrical holiday productions. But there are excellent options again this holiday season, starting with Cincinnati Playhouse's 'A Christmas Carol' and ETC's 'Cinderella.'  

What's on the page gets on the Monmouth Theater stage. Words and plot are explicated with energy, clarity and conviction — but there's little resonance to Shakespeare's 400-year-old tale of howling revenge.   

Stepping inside the Monmouth Theatre in Newport for Falcon Theatre's production of 'It's a Wonderful Life' feels like a step back in time. The company has transformed the intimate performance space into the Falcon Broadcasting Company, a replica of a 1940s radio broadcasting studio. The effect is fun and nostalgic.   

Michael C. Potter makes obsessive-compulsive Arnold a stream of fast-talking twitches and non-sequiturs, while David A. Levy's Norman is a sweetly innocent guy who obsesses about donuts.