Odyssey Dance Theatre artistic director Derryl Yeager remembered when he first thought about converting the Frank Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life" into dance.
"The run-on-the-bank scene was the inspiration for the entire show," Yeager said during an interview with the Deseret News. "That was the first idea I had. That was the first thing I wrote down."
From there, Yeager said, everything else came into play.
"I kept asking, 'How can you translate this moment?' and 'How can you present it in a dance format and still tell the story without dialogue?' So that's where it all started."
This year, Yeager decided to put a plot synopsis in the program.
"That way people who haven't seen the movie can still understand the story better."
Also, Yeager is adding a video element to the opening scene.
In the past, the scene features voice overs and a massive starlight scrim, called the star drop.
"That way we won't spend so long on the star drop," he said. "The video will run before the star drop.
"And I'll tighten things up, but nothing major."
In addition to associate artistic director Eldon Johnson, the role of George Bailey throughout the run will be danced by Thayne Jasperson and Matt Dorame.
"We're happy to have Thayne and Matt back from the 'So You Think You Can Dance' whirlwind," Yeager said. "They all did a great job and it's good having them back."
Not only did Jasperson tour with "SYTYCD," but he also performed in "Footloose" at Tuacahn this year.
"He did really well," Yeager said.
One thing about "It's a Wonderful Life" that Yeager likes is the fact that it's a full 180-degree turn from Odyssey Dance Theatre's Halloween show "Thriller."
"After 'It's a Wonderful Life' you have people leaving the theater in a happy mood," he said with a laugh. "In 'Thriller' everyone dies."
After "It's a Wonderful Life" closes at Kingsbury Hall the company will travel to St. George for a run at Dixie College.
"We have done excerpts from the show in St. George before without the sets at the Festival of the Trees," Yeager said. "And we got a huge reaction."
The logistical problem with taking the full production to Dixie College this year was, strangely enough, the sets, said Yeager.
"We tried to set it up in the Cox auditorium, which has about 1,200 seats, but the doors are not big enough to get our sets in," he said.
The theatre next door, the Eccles Mainstage Theatre, seats 500 but has the doors that will accommodate the sets.
And while the sets will fit, Yeager had to make some adjustments for another major element in the show — the 24,000-gallon water tank in the orchestra pit.
"We use the water tank in three key-points of the show," he said. "We have kids sliding into it, and dancers jumping into it and we need it.
"So we had to make it safe and make it fit."
Other than that, Yeager said, the show didn't need anything else.
"We're happy to be able to perform this as an alternative to all the 'Nutcrackers' out there," he said. "And we're looking forward to taking it on the road to St. George."
If you go
What: "It's a Wonderful Life," Odyssey Dance Theatre
Where: Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah
When: Nov. 27-Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.; also Saturdays, 2 p.m.
How much: $25-$45
Phone: 801-581-7100
Also: Dec. 11-19, 7:30 p.m., Eccles Fine Arts Mainstage Theater, Dixie State College, St. George, $25.50 (435-652-7800 or tickets.dixie.edu)
e-mail: scott@desnews.com