Set in a 1940s radio studio high above New York City at Christmastime, the play follows George Bailey, a man who has devoted his life to helping others. When a crisis leads him to reconsider the life he has lived, he discovers the impact he has had on the people around him. A company of actors performs the story as a live radio broadcast, with performers portraying multiple characters, a foley artist creating sound effects onstage, and holiday carols incorporated into the production.

The Broadway production is directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks (Hello, Dolly!, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls). The creative team includes Tony Award-winning costume and scenic designer Santo Loquasto (Hello, Dolly!, The Music Man), lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Beetlejuice, The Coast of Utopia), and sound designer Palmer Heffernan (John Proctor is the Villain, Just For Us). Andy Einhorn (Gypsy, Carousel) serves as music director.

Joe Landry’s stage adaptation is based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story “The Greatest Gift” and draws on Frank Capra’s 1946 film adaptation. The stage version first premiered in Connecticut in 1996 and subsequently became one of the most produced plays in the United States. The Broadway production features Andrew Rannells as George Bailey, Megan Hilty as Mary Bailey, Tituss Burgess as Clarence and other characters, Harry Hamlin as Mr. Potter and other characters, and Lisa Rinna as Violet and other characters.