Alice in Wonderland, in hindsight.

Let me start by saying that I am not a theater person. My ability to discern between good and bad acting is non-existent. That being said, my infantile reactions to the play as a whole, not unlike Alice's reactions to the ridiculous nature of Wonderland, will be genuine and unbiased, if not credible. Here goes:

I have not read or seen or thought about Alice in Wonderland since I first watched the Disney version of it no less than twelve years ago. My knowledge of the plot is lacking, and so I was confused at times as to exactly what was happening. I do not think that is a fault of the production however, any more than it is of the convolutions of reality that the story calls for. Nonetheless, the show left me rife with glee and a childlike satisfaction with something that I did not fully understand. I think a large part of this entertainment was due to the actress that played Alice. Her performance did not grasp me in anyway, but I think she played the role exactly how it was meant. Alice was annoying and beautifully ignorant. What more could be asked of her? I don’t know, honestly. Her first acquaintance in the play, the Rabbit, was not as good. His constant panic was annoying when, unlike for the role of Alice, it was not called for. He was overly jumpy and not a very good singer.

Other things that I liked:

The Mad Hatter—what a pimp. I see now why Bump wears that thing (potential Halloween costume, anyone?). Beyond that infatuation with him, the actor was very good. His eerie voice fit the role very well, and he had one of the better singing voices.

The Cheshire Cat—I think she played her role the best. Her grin, even without makeup, was entirely too creepy. This character, from what I remember of the plot, is supposed to be the most mysterious of a group characterized by mystery, and the actress left me wondering. She had the best voice in the show, as well.

The Caterpillar—her makeup was incredible, her accent—very fitting (during the speaking parts at least). And she has obviously been to a lot of hookah bars.

The Play (or musical?) as a whole—much like Austyn talked about, I don’t think you can really put on a bad show of Alice in Wonderland. It is far too colorful a story to have left me unsatisfied. Talk about right brain work at its best—Lewis Carroll is awesome. Especially considering the topic of our last discussion board, this was the perfect time to see this. I feel comforted, almost, and inspired by Alice’s journey to find her place as I (we) try to find mine (ours).