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MARQUETTE -- It is hard to imagine Christmas without a visit from George Bailey. This year, the Vertigo Theatre Company is bringing the silver screen to life in "It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play."

Jeff Spencer is one of the featured players in this year's production. His vocal talents will be tested playing 16 different characters, sometimes in the same scene.

"You just have to have a lot of different things in your arsenal, you know, a lot of different voices and accents and ages," said Spencer.

A select group of seven members will voice over 40 different characters while recreating the sights and sounds of the classic tale.

"It's a chance to step back in time and experience something as it was way back before there was a TV in every house," Spencer added.

One man has been instrumental in making Vertigo's dream a reality. From a windy cemetery to the crunch of fresh snow, Marty Martello is providing the Foley work for the entire show.

"Trying to find things that make the right sounds has been the hardest part. For example, glass breaking. I read that ribbon candy, if you hit it with a hammer, it sounds like glass breaking...ehhh. It sounds like ribbon candy being hit with a hammer," explained Martello.

The challenge motivated Martello to become somewhat of a sound scientist, using everything from pans of corn flakes to fine tooth combs. But for the Foley artist, the labor is worth the fruit.

"It talks about the importance of life, the importance of giving, having friends, sharing, which hopefully is what we're supposed to be doing at Christmas," Martello noted.

The play runs this Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. with a matinee performance on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. Tickets for the Second Annual Christmas Show are $7.50 and can be purchased at the site of the performance in the Peter White Public Library.