We got right into the holiday spirit this week with a unique performance of It’s a Wonderful Life. Performed as a sort of play within a play, the story was presented as if we, the audience, were observing a live radio broadcast of the iconic Christmas tale. Put on by Oregon Cabaret Theatre, a professional troupe located in nearby Ashland, Ore., the play surprised me in its ability to so thoroughly entertain and move me with a plot I knew so well. This was a case where the venue and the piece complemented each other perfectly. The theatre, housed in a refurbished 1911 Baptist church, intimately seats just 140 on two levels, with the original woodwork and stained-glass windows still much in evidence. One is easily transported to a 1940s radio studio in New York City on Christmas Eve with such vintage surroundings and a set representing the sound booth and stage of such a studio, arrayed with a piano (for a few vocal performances and commercial jingles) and all manner of sound effect devices. At the opening of the show, the audience is “introduced” to the evening’s radio cast of performers, instructed in its role in the broadcast (pay attention to that “Applause!” sign!, laugh and sigh aloud, but no extraneous loud noises, please) and even asked to sing along with the cast to “Let It Snow” as a warm-up just before we went live “on air.” What kept the show fresh for me was observing how just five performers each voiced several different characters, keeping each distinct and unique and sometimes doing so in a rapid-fire conversation with him- or herself. It was also entertaining to watch as the actors produced the sound effects for everything from breaking glass to falling through the ice of a frozen river. Even as we watched them performing their It’s a Wonderful Life parts, gesturing and emoting in character, we could also observe them as their radio star personalities away from the mics. At the end of the evening, I found myself with a big smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart as I stood to applaud the performers. If you’re feeling a bit Grinchy this year, taking in a seasonal performance might pull you out of that mood. One can find performances, professional or not, of the iconic Handel’s Messiah, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker in nearly every city, big or small. Concerts abound, with acts such as Mannheim Steamroller and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra touring annually throughout November and December with their unique sounds. I’d encourage you, though, to seek out a holiday concert at one of your local schools. Before and after my own daughters performed at these annual events, as a teacher and wife of a school administrator I attended several of these performances — more than one each year, in fact. The talent of the young performers (especially at the high school level) may take you by surprise and certainly entertain you, and some warm, fuzzy feelings might sneak up and nudge you out of any “Bah, Humbug!” mood you may be in. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor