''A Wonderful Life'' is a 1986 musical with a book and lyrics by

Sheldon Harnick Sheldon Mayer Harnick (born April 30, 1924) is an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as ''Fiorello!'' and '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Early life Sheldon Mayer Harnick was ...

and music by

Joe Raposo Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH (February 8, 1937 – February 5, 1989) was an American composer, songwriter, pianist, singer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', for which he wrote the theme ...

. Based on the classic 1946 Frank Capra film ''

It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...

'' starring James Stewart, the story closely follows the original plot, set in 1945, telling the story of a

suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

man whose

guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...

reveals to him how different the world and everyone whose life he has touched would be if he'd never been born. The film was based on the 1943 short booklet by Philip Van Doren Stern, ''

The Greatest Gift "The Greatest Gift" is a 1943 short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern, loosely based on the Charles Dickens 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'', which became the basis for the film ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946). It was self-published a ...

''.

Background and production history

Harnick and Raposo worked for many years to put together a musical version of ''

'', but just as the musical's book was completed, a controversy arose over the rights to the underlying Stern story that delayed production of the show. During this delay, Raposo died of cancer in 1989. ''A Wonderful Life'' was performed initially at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1986. The first professional production took place at the Wagon Wheel Playhouse in

Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 13,559 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake. Etymology Warsaw, named after the capital of ...

, in 1988, followed by a staged reading at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

, Millburn, New Jersey, Millburn, New Jersey, in 1990. It was produced at Washington, DC's Arena Stage, running from November 15, 1991, to January 5, 1992. On December 12, 2005, a staged concert version was directed by Carl Andress and choreographed by Denis Jones at the Shubert Theatre (Broadway), Shubert Theatre in New York City for the benefit of the Actors' Fund of America. Among the Broadway theatre, Broadway notables who participated were Brian Stokes Mitchell as George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life), George Bailey, David Hyde Pierce as guardian angel Clarence Odbody, Clarence, Judy Kuhn as Mary Hatch Bailey, Mary Bailey, Dominic Chianese as Mr. Potter, Karen Ziemba as The MC, Philip Bosco as Joseph, Marian Seldes as Mrs. Hatch, Ronn Carroll as Tom Bailey, Marc Kudisch as Sam Wainwright, Michael Berresse as Harry Bailey, Nancy Anderson as Violet, Chuck Cooper (actor), Chuck Cooper as Uncle Billy, George S. Irving as Mr. Martini, Jayne Houdyshell as Mrs. Martini, and Phylicia Rashad as Millie Bailey. The event was hosted by Actors Fund President Joseph Benincasa and Vice Chair of the Actors Fund Bebe Neuwirth. The Paper Mill Playhouse presented a fully staged production, from November through December 17, 2006, directed by James Brennan; it received moderately positive reviews. Theatre Under The Stars (Houston), Theatre Under The Stars produced the work in 2007, and it has received other regional productions.Review of a Chicago production
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Song list

;Act I * George's Prayer * This Year Europe * One of the Lucky Ones/Can * You Find Me a House * In a State * A Wonderful Life * If I Had a Wish * One of the Lucky Ones * Reprise * Wings * Good Night * Not What I Expected * Panic at the Loan Building * A Wonderful Life - Reprise ;Act II * Can You Find Me a House - Reprise * When You Own Your Own Home * First Class All the Way * I Couldn't Be with Anyone but You * Welcome a Hero * Christmas Gifts * Precious Little * Unborn Sequence * A Wonderful Life - Reprise * Welcome the Hero - Reprise * Christmas Gifts - Reprise

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderful Life, A 1986 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on films Musicals by Sheldon Harnick