The People’s Theatre is one of those gems that I wish I got to more. A gorgeous space, with friendly staff and a nice (and very reasonably priced!) bar, it hosts an impressive and ambitious calendar of shows, staged with a polish few amateur theatres can match.

So, I was delighted to be invited to the press night of It’s A Wonderful Life last night and for once be actually able to attend. Now: full disclosure, this is a film I can’t get through without weeping, so you should probably take the fact that I started sniffling halfway through and was properly crying by the end with that caveat in mind.

But even given my predilection for the movie’s particular strand of sentimentality, this was a charming and accomplished production. Mary Elliott Nelson’s adaptation, directed by Anna Dobson and Sam Burrell, manages to hit all the main beats of the story but streamlines the plot a little so it maintains a spry pace, never getting bogged down by its large cast of characters.

The People’s tends to have high production values – its shows always look really great – and Tim Swinton’s design here is no exception. It’s an elegant, festive bauble of a set, cleverly suggesting Bedford Falls and Pottersville with a handful of props.

While in any amateur production the performances can be variable, the standard of the acting in this sizeable ensemble is generally high (props especially to the younger actors, who all do well as young George and his friends, and the Bailey children). Particular standouts are Sam Hinton, who wisely taps into the character rather than just doing a Jimmy Stewart impersonation, giving us a flawed, sometimes frustrating George, and Tony Sehgal as a likeable, bumbling Clarence. Sara Jo Harrison gives Mary some spark beyond just being a dutiful wife (they wisely ditch the bit in the film where a George-less Mary becomes a sad old spinster librarian – because, hey, for some of us that equals life goals) and Emma Robson’s Violet is a flirty delight. (The wardrobe department also deserves praise, because the women in particular nail the look of the time.)

It all adds up to a slickly enjoyable show, and the perfect start to a holiday season in a year where cheer feels in short supply.

The show runs to November 23, and the theatre’s Christmas show is Alice in Wonderland, a panto by Tom Whalley. You can find out more here.

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[Image description and credit: Sam Hinton and Tony Sehgal stand on a bridge. Photo by Paul Hood, used with permission.]