One-man show 'This Wonderful Life' is wonderful holiday treat

Everyone has their favorite Christmas time movie. For many of us, that favorite is the perennial Frank Capra classic "It's A Wonderful Life."

"It's A Wonderful Life" is actor Mark Setlock's favorite too, as he tells us at the outset of his one-man retelling of the Christmas classic, "This Wonderful Life," the holiday production gracing the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' Loretto-Hilton stage on the campus of Webster University.

This guy Setlock seems to be the whole show, to paraphrase an old movie quote (bonus points to anyone who can name the movie), as Mark Setlock both narrates and plays every significant character in re-telling the plot of "It's A Wonderful Life." It is a wonderful tour-de-force, a bit like "The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare, Abridged," plus charming tidbits from a guy who truly loves this warm-hearted movie.

Setlock is not playing when he tells us he loves this movie. The talented actor's fascination with the classic film eventually bore fruit, when he collaborated with playwright Steve Murray to boil down a two-hour movie into a play that could be done by one actor playing all the parts, have the audience love the result and the actor live to tell the tale another day.

The result is delightful evening, filled with both comedy and warm-hearted affection, much like the Capra film itself. Setlock is so good at distilling this movie that he beginning the evening with a hilarious, even shorter Cliff Notes type version.

Setlock alternates between his role as narrator and recreating the various characters. He is appealing and energetic as the central character George Bailey, charmingly goofy as Clarence the angel, hilariously feminine as Mary, George's wife, and funnily cute as little Zuzu. He is particularly effective as evil Mr. Potter, one of the things that really makes the whole performance work. The pitch-perfect mimicry and Setlock's obvious love of the material melts the audience's collective heart and sweeps you into the story.

The gifted actor uses the Rep's flexible single set to set the scenes as they unfold. The set looks like an old-fashioned movie theater, complete with marquee and box office window. The theater front becomes the streets of Bedford Falls, the inside of Martini's bar, the Bailey home and the good old Building and Loan, by turns. Setlock transforms his ordinary looking business suit into every costume and moves simple props around, cleverly transforming them into the settings of every scene. The effect is simply brilliant.

"This Wonderful Life" is the perfect topper for a holiday season, for all but the most Mr. Potter-like among us. The show runs through December 28 and information on tickets are available through the Rep at www.repstl.org.