“Surely books are made to linger in,” notes Alice at the beginning of this new musical. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one such book which is embraced again and again. There have been so many adaptations and interpretations of this story. Alice By Heart begins in London’s Underground in 1941 amidst the Blitz during World War II. The atmospheric set design by Edward Pierce nicely evokes a dark, cavernous yet claustrophobic shelter. Bombs are exploding as the story begins.
The people in this particular shelter are all coping with their fears. Alfred is quite ill and is expected to die from tuberculosis. Despite admonitions to stay away, Alice decides to help him pass the time (and hopefully heal) by reading through Alice in Wonderland. When the nurse destroys her book, she has to recall the story by memory, hence the title Alice By Heart. The production quickly shifts to a loose adaptation.
The most interesting aspect of this musical is the parallel paths taken by Alice Spencer/Alice down the rabbit hole. The book written by Steven Sater and Director Jessie Nelson links the growing up quandary of the classic tale to the harsh realities of growing up too early in a dark world of evil. At her trial before the Queen of Hearts (Grace McLean, excellent), the song “Isn’t It A Trial?” sums up the sad reality. I heard multiple meanings in the lyric “Isn’t it a trial to try and stay a child?” from the innocence of youth to the adult denial of aging.
Twenty songs are crammed into this ninety minute show. Many of them are memorable notably “Chillin’ the Regrets” and “The Key Is” performed in the slinky caterpillar scene. The creativity in the staging is additive to the fun. In order to create an outer shell for the mock turtle, the cast utilizes green soldier helmets. The show feels like a series of ideas and captivating visuals without a center core to truly flesh out this particular retelling.
The opening blitz scene happens so quickly that we do not get invested in our central couple of Alice and Alfred, nor with any other characters. Maybe a more expansive book would help glue the story together and make the plotlines clearer. Scenes between Alice and the Cheshire Cat seemed to be critically important for the narration and summation of the most important learnings. Instead, the songs “Some Things Fall Away” and “Winter Blooms” were flat and uninspired.
Without a great core, Alice By Heart simply exists to offer some very entertaining musical numbers. The choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman is eminently watchable with intricate movements and clever tongue-in-cheek flourishes. The famous cast of characters that populate Wonderland are allowed to dominate the show which also dilutes the main storyline.
But what a cast of characters to enjoy! Extra praise has to be given to Andrew Kober (King of Hearts, Jabberwocky), Colton Ryan (Alfred, White Rabbit), Heath Saunders (Caterpillar) and, especially, Wesley Taylor (Mad Hatter and others). This creatively staged but underdeveloped musical is fun even if it did not achieve the promise of its dark premise.
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