The Time of Your Life

Runs Nov. 14-Dec. 1, $20, Temple University, Randall Theater, 1301 W. Norris St., 215-204-1122.

by David Anthony Fox

theater

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Here's a marvelous play that we hardly ever get to see anymore. Why? First, because it needs a cast of nearly 30: prohibitively expensive for most professional companies. Next, it must be cast-from-strength top to bottom, as even the smallest roles are juicy and require wonderful acting. And finally, the bittersweet-but-hopeful slice-of-life genre (now we'd call it "Capra-esque") isn't much a part of our contemporary sensibility. Well, the good news is that cast size and the abundance of juicy ensemble parts make The Time of Your Life an ideal piece for actor-training programs, which can muster the necessary forces — and offer enough rehearsal time that the sense of a group world actually coheres. And it's a charming world — Nick's Saloon in San Francisco, a faded joint that nonetheless houses the collective and individual dreams of a motley crew including a hoofer, a ne'er-do-well, and of course, the requisite hooker. Speaking of Capra, why not shake up your holiday a little this year? Instead of indulging in your umpteenth viewing of It's A Wonderful Life, take in the wonderful world of William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Runs Nov. 14-Dec. 1, $20, Temple University, Randall Theater, 1301 W. Norris St., 215-204-1122.