The 1946 Frank Capra movie It’s a Wonderful Life has become a ubiquitous holiday classic, regularly shown on television screens throughout December.
Now Teatro Audaz, the San Antonio-based theater company focused on Latinx culture, has reimagined the classic with a South Texas take on the angelic tale.
It’s a Wonderful Vida runs Dec. 7-17 at the McCreless Theater on the San Antonio College campus. California playwright Herbert Siguenza set his darkly satirical Mexican American twist on Capra’s classic in 1957 Corpus Christi and, rather than hinging his story on whether an angel earns his wings, a Santa Claus character must earn his hat.
Director Nora Moreno-Jarrell grew up in Corpus Christi, in the Molina neighborhood where the play is set, and her father dealt with many of the issues raised in Siguenza’s story.
“[Siguenza] did a really good job at capturing the moment and the time period,” Moreno-Jarrell said, particularly the Mexican American immigrant family dynamic.
“What’s really funny is not much has changed as far as family dynamics go,” she said. “We still have the same issues going on today.”
While Capra’s George Bailey runs afoul of the law for a supposed embezzlement, in Siguenza’s Pacheco family, one son, played by Esai Gomez, is caught with marijuana and arrested, another, played by Mason Anthony Ortiz, comes back from war with post-traumatic stress disorder, the daughter, played by Michiko Villa, claims she’s not Mexican because she was born in the U.S. and refuses to speak Spanish, and the father, played by Guillermo De Leon, is denied a promotion at work because of his ethnicity.
Unfortunately, Moreno-Jarrell said, the play’s themes are all too familiar to 21st-century Mexican American families. “Those kinds of things still happen today,” she said.
Siguenza adapts several familiar scenes from It’s a Wonderful Life, including George’s “lasso the moon” speech and the heartwarming ringing of the bell when angel Clarence presumably gets his wings.
As the “Nick” character, played by actor Rey Valdez, helps the Pacheco family navigate through their troubles to earn his hat, several wrenching twists occur along the way, Moreno-Jarrell said.
Teatro Audaz Executive Artistic Director Laura Garza said she appreciates how deftly Siguenza uses humor, despite dealing with difficult real-world issues.
“If he can give you a message while also making you laugh at the same time,” Garza said of Siguenza, “and you leave the theater and you’re having a discussion afterwards, then we’ve done our job.”
Moreno-Jarrell cautioned that the intensity of subjects in the play might not be appropriate for younger audiences.
“There is death, there is sex, there is alcohol … all of those things are touched on within the play,” she said. “People who have experienced this or who can relate to these types of situations, this is going to be the show for them.” And with such relatable characters, she said, “This is going to be the one that touches their heart.”
Siguenza will be present for a platica with the audience and actors after the Dec. 9 performance. General admission tickets for It’s a Wonderful Vida are $25, with VIP special pricing and discounts for seniors, military and students.
Dec. 8-15 performances are “pay what you wish” nights, with admission as low as $5, and the Dec. 16 performance features an American Sign Language interpreter.
