Every Time a Bell Rings...

A few years ago, I played the small role of Mr. Martini in the stage version of It's a Wonderful Life. Back then I thought my future was on the stage and figured my fewer than 20 lines would somehow amount to awards and accolades in the near future. Alas, no. Here I am writing about my dreams from years ago and well, there you have it. My character was significantly Italian, and with naïve enthusiasm I plunged headfirst into accents and idiosyncrasies and dove deep into my character development. By golly, I was going to win that Leon Rabin award. With all that intense research, what I never did was actually watch the movie. We real actors must rely solely on our own interpretation, of course. I realized I had never seen the Frank Capra classic—and I'm a fairly big movie geek. I felt so naked. So un-American. Soon after the final curtain, I went to rent it and see it once and for all. My anxious anticipation was soon deflated as there were none in stock. It was, after all, the holiday season. Take advantage of the Angelika's It's a Wonderful Film series with the screening of It's a Wonderful Life 4:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $4. For more information, visit angelikafilmcenter.com.
Fri., Dec. 22, 4:30 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 23, 5:30 p.m.