Unlike the movies, Alice can’t be easily resized as Lewis Carroll has her doing throughout the tale, but we still see Alice’s metamorphoses through sets and costumes and three different actors. Jessica Major is “Tall Alice” who ends up with a house costume around her torso (leading to her identity and fashion issues, i.e., “I can’t go out in this housedress!”). Such issues are replaced by other issues when Tall Alice eats magical Wonderland food. Cue Small Alice (Miranda Colvin) who comes on stage and gestures for Tall Alice to get lost (a magic tunnel and vaudeville cane are also among the devices used to transition among the three Alices.

Miranda is an impressive and amusing young actress who gets to shine in a number of scenes including the big caucus race (for which the cast does some warm-up exercises). Then there’s the hilarious garden party with the snooty flowers who talk like cliquish Valley Girls and are none too polite to Alice. But Alice is ready to give it right back. “Look girls, I think she has bugs,” one of the flowers says of Alice. To which Alice makes like she’s going to draw a gun as she responds, “Look girls, I think I have some Roundup.” Miranda looked prepared to use it. And then there’s the big number to close the first act. That’s where Taylor Tollack lets us see her “fabulosity” as she commands the stage as the charming Southern Caterpillar who leads Small Alice, the Cheshire Cats, and the rest of the cast in a big, lively, and funky Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.

And, of course, there’s regular-sized Alice! Sawyer Henderson stars as the latter. Bored with the boring book her sister (Tzytle Steinman) is reading in the park, and unable to amuse herself with her tail like her cat Dinah (good cameo by Abby Hallberg), Sawyer ends up following her real-life brother (Riley Henderson as a lively but perpetually late White Rabbit) down a fateful rabbit hole. That drop is created with the help of spinning spiral umbrellas and lots of tapping led by our terrific trio of narrating Cheshire Cats (Karina Ghiara, Troy Lingelbach, and Madison Lewis). But how else is Alice going to find a Mad Tea Party? No, not an angry anti-tax political rally. These guys are really having a party with tea (and axle grease, and liverwurst).

Justin Feinman is the Mad Hatter with a crazy, Ed Wynn-ish voice. Sean Geisterfer is a zany March Hare who does some serious mad scientist surgery on a watch. Adorable Marlowe Morris is the acrobatic and narcoleptic Dormouse. Combined, they lead the cast through a wild and crazy and entertaining tea party.

Of course, as the Cheshire cats warn, they’re all mad here. And who is madder than the Queen of Hearts? Alexa Harris is a furiously funny, intimidating, and crazy queen who is greatly admired by her adoring husband (Benjamin Little). They rule over a kingdom inhabited by many others including Paul Geisterfer as a very good Dodo Bird, Avery Mann and Harrison Schwartz going all out with the physical humor as the ditzy Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum brothers, and a large ensemble who all inhabit their various roles with such dedication, skill, and enthusiasm whether they’re Painting the Roses Red, throwing tea parties, celebrating zip-a-dee-doo-dah days, or asking Whooooo Are Youuuuuu?

Director Eric Hellmers has fantastic vision for this show and pays brilliant attention to every moment and detail. Choreographer Mary White makes all the dance numbers fun and energetic, which are executed by the cast exceptionally well. Jimmy Masterson provides the nicely conceived set, and Director Eric Hellmers is also aided by his costar from their own youth theatre days, with the great costume designer Renetta Lehman Lloyd whose creations help bring all of Carroll’s whimsical visions from imagination to reality.

Performed February 4 - 6, 2010

Rob Hopper
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Executive Director
National Youth Arts