Tonight is the UK premiere of It’s a Wonderful Life, the opera. Frank Capra’s 1946 film of the same name has the emotional drama to make a good opera, but, on stage, lacks the sparkle to make Christmas magic. Fortunately, Aletta Collins’ production creates a bright and whimsical Americana aesthetic that occasionally shines through this depressing Christmas classic. It’s a 4-star opera, but a 3-star Christmas show.
For fans of the film, the opera is a near play-by-play of the film. From Bedford Falls to Pottersville to the Bailey’s Christmas Eve party, the audience will find familiar faces and places on stage—with one key difference.
Clarence, the clumsy and loveable angel from the film, becomes Clara, an earnest and meddling soprano in the opera. Danielle de Niese’s Clara is a pleasant and light soprano who balances nicely with Frederick Ballentine’s wistful tenor. The angels and the Bailey family form an inviting ensemble with convincing acting. As a whole, it’s an enjoyable cast. Yet, call me a Grinch, no one stole the show.
If this is your first Jake Heggie opera, expect a night of musical theatre. Heggie’s score is a blend of vaudeville jazz, patriotic trumpets, and Christmas melodies. Punchy dance routines fill Bedford High’s graduation dance and barber-shop quartets sidestep hand-in-hand across the stage. It feels right at home in London’s West End. It’s the least operatic opera I’ve seen. It’s easy to digest and enjoyable, albeit a bit saccharine.
Conductor (and long-time Heggie collaborator) Nicole Paiement elevates Heggie’s energy. Paiement’s conducting creates peaks and valleys that make dreaming sequences feel hopeful and glittering while underscoring the anxious melancholy of Bailey’s financial woes.
Sounds fun, right? Unfortunately, the plot is a lump of coal for Christmas. The world of George Bailey is depressing. It’s a show about the false nostalgia of dreams that never come true. Potter, the domineering businessman, looms over the show (with a velvety and enticing baritone, I might add).
In December 2022, the forthright presentation of a rapidly devaluing currency and a housing crisis leave me worrying about the cost of living instead of celebrating the festive season. With ENO’s recent funding cuts, we can only hope this town comes together to save the day as they did with George Bailey.
It’s a Wonderful Life is more Blue Christmas than White Christmas. The show has some moments that glitter—the dance-a-long Mekke Mekke and the sparkling Auld Lang Syne sing-a-long finale–but as the bright snow turns to grey slush in the street and I return to work after writing this review, I can’t help but think that Christmas is just another bank holiday after all.
All photos by Lloyd Winters as part of English National Opera Press Pack.
London Show Cap 
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