6 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER James Leaming plays 32 characters in This Wonderful Life. One of them, an Our Town-esque stage manager, comments on the action in Bedford Falls. All the rest are characters in Frank Capra's classic 1946 film, “It's a Wonderful Life”. The one-man play is more of an ironic exploration of the iconic movie, its human and heavenly themes and its hold on the American psyche. Likewise, Leaming's bravura performance adds up to much more than waxwork impersonations of this small town's denizens on a snowy Christmas Eve. It's an evocation of the familiar actors playing characters who are symbols of an era. To do this, Leaming must try to imitate the actors/characters, "but not in a Rich Little way," he said in a recent interview. He also establishes a whole set of conversations, "between the characters and between myself and the audience." Leaming says he watches the movie "two or three times" each year, but he doesn't study the performances closely. "I set the movie down and find my own way through. It's more about an emotional gathering, being willing to be surprised." Here's how Leaming said he finds his way to four characters: Jimmy Stewart / “George Bailey” “It's Jimmy Stewart playing George Bailey. There's an imitation of Stewart within the voice and in the body. Bailey is openhearted and caring, and he has an upward, open posture. Every human has a physical gesture, and it informs his point of view. It's a physical mask of sorts. I effect it, and it affects me. The spine collapses, he has a kind of jerky, backing-down movement.” Lionel Barrymore / “Mr. Potter” “Potter is a pinched-up self, a big man in a small town. He would not be happy even if he were happy. He needs to be angry. There's the Tibetan Buddhist concept of shenpa, a very sticky thing, a thing that keeps you stagnant, an anger or greed that hooks you and keeps you in a spiritual place. Potter is a clear embodiment, and I play him crabbed up, twisted, sideways.” ACTOR JAMES LEAMING ON PLAYING ALL OF BEDFORD FALLS By Tony Brown Actor Jim Leaming performing This Wonderful Life Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) Lionel Barrymore in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) (edited from Cleveland.com)