It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is making its Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre, bringing the holiday story to the stage through the atmosphere of a live 1940s radio broadcast.
Four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks will direct the production, which features Andrew Rannells as George Bailey and Megan Hilty as Mary Bailey. Rannells and Hilty are both two-time Tony nominees; his credits include Gutenberg! and The Book of Mormon, while hers include Death Becomes Her and “Smash.”
They will be joined by six-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess, playing Clarence and additional roles. Burgess’ credits include Oh, Mary! and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Harry Hamlin will portray Mr. Potter and other characters. He has appeared in “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” “L.A. Law” and “Mad Men.” Four-time Emmy nominee Lisa Rinna, whose credits include “Days of Our Lives,” “The Traitors” and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” will play Violet and other roles.
Bedford Falls, Reimagined for Radio
Joe Landry’s stage adaptation places theatergoers inside a radio studio high above New York City at Christmastime. The audience becomes the studio crowd as a group of actors performs the story live on the air, with the featured stars taking on dozens of Bedford Falls characters.
The format also makes the mechanics of the broadcast part of the show. A foley artist will create sound effects live onstage, while holiday carols will be woven into the production.
At the center remains George Bailey, a man who has repeatedly placed other people’s needs ahead of his own. When he is confronted by a crisis, George looks back at the life he has led and comes to understand how deeply one person can affect those around him.
The Broadway production combines that familiar narrative with the energy of an in-the-moment radio performance. Rannells and Hilty anchor the story as George and Mary, while Burgess, Hamlin and Rinna move among multiple parts beyond their principal characters.
From a 1943 Story to a Broadway First
The production’s history begins with Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story “The Greatest Gift.” Frank Capra’s film It’s A Wonderful Life followed in 1946 and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
The year 2026 marks the film’s 80th anniversary. It continues to be embraced by families around the world as a holiday tradition, giving the stage production a major historical milestone as it arrives on Broadway for the first time.
Landry’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play was first presented in Connecticut in 1996 at the Stamford Center for the Arts. It has since become one of the country’s most frequently produced plays, but the Broadhurst engagement represents its first Broadway staging. “The Greatest Gift” is used with permission from The Greatest Gift Corporation.
ShowBiz Take
The significance of this production lies in the meeting of two milestones: a stage adaptation with a long production history is finally reaching Broadway as the film enters its 80th-anniversary year.
Its radio-play framework also gives the Broadway version a clear theatrical identity. Rather than trying to reproduce the film literally, the show asks audiences to watch performers, live sound effects and music build Bedford Falls in real time. With five stage and screen stars shifting among numerous roles, the format puts performance itself at the center of the holiday story.
What Happens Next?
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will arrive at the Broadhurst Theatre for the holiday season, with Zaks directing Rannells, Hilty, Burgess, Hamlin and Rinna in the adaptation’s Broadway premiere.