Ogden, Utah- One of the fun aspects of a classic story like Alice in Wonderland is that it is so well-known and iconic that it’s easy to adapt in different ways and have unique approaches to it over the years. Alice by Heart is the latest dive into Wonderland and a new version of this musical can be seen at the black box Eccles Theater at Weber State University. It’s a production bursting with creativity and definitely something worth the effort to go and see.
This musical comes from the same team that brought us Spring Awakening with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater and a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson. While it is not nearly as edgy as Spring Awakening, one can sense their style in Alice by Heart and similar dark themes are mined by relatively innocent characters. Both musicals have a naive-love-shocked-by-the-world arc to them which makes them perfect for a college theater group like Weber to perform.
The first thing one will notice in the black box is the set design by Cully Long. They have made an immersive environment in the small space creating a 2 story bomb-shelter (although used minimally, with the exception of the live orchestra housed there, it was impressive to look at and added to the overall atmosphere and tension.) Director Andrew Barratt Lewis lets the costumes, designed by Tabitha Sublette, and props, designed by Elijah Soderquist do most of the transitioning between fantasy and reality, and while it’s a little messy (which can be expected due to the nature of the story) most of us know the general beats of Alice in Wonderland well enough to keep up with what is happening.
Aside from being set in a 1941 bomb shelter, the other unusual aspect of Alice by Heart is that it appears to be a love story. In the shelter Alice (played by Madison Rigby) is a teen who has fallen in love with Alfred (Calvin Gidgiddoniah Hamilton) who is dying from tuberculosis. To help escape from the war and illness Alice reads Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll to her friend and the events play out on stage with every actor taking on various roles.
One of the most impressive aspects of what the team at Weber does is they use so many different mediums to help tell this story. There are traditional acting, shadow silhouettes, smaller hand puppets, larger puppets requiring more than one puppeteer to operate, elaborate costumes and more. I found this story telling exhilerating and fresh.
The first character we meet in Wonderland is the Caterpillar, who is originally played by 2 actors, Grace Zito and Cooper Hartman and then as their song “Chilling the Regrets” goes on the ingenious costume grows until 5 actors are all working in unison to make the giant caterpillar effect work for the stomp-type dance number “The Key Is.” All the actors including Zito and Hartman did an excellent job bringing the comedy out in their performances and making us laugh at the nonsense Alice is interacting with.
The whole ensemble is excellent, however Brian Stuart stood out as Duchess, having tons of personality in “Manage Your Flamingo.” I also really enjoyed the entire “Brillig Braelig” number where Alice meets the Jabberwocky. This creature was created using multiple puppeteers making it 8 or 9 ft high with 6 sets of hands slinking across the floor. It is exactly what this more urban version of Wonderland would have for the Jabberwocky. I also loved M Rayburn’s chilling turn as the Nurse/Queen of Hearts. She is cold and harsh and her costume by Sublette is incredible with a crown of syringes and a giant hoop skirt with rust-colored playing cards at her waist. I wish the creators had given her a more dishy song but all she gets is the chaotic “Isn’t it a Trial.”
The music in general is somewhat underwhelming with no song standing out from the crowd. One can understand why the material only got one Off Broadway run in 2019 as it doesn’t seem quite finished and ready for larger audiences paying more for their seats. The romantic element is particularly weak as Alfred and Alice spend so little together before all the Wonderland madness begins but the tension of being in a bomb shelter also doesn’t allow for typical romantic melodrama.
As it is, the version at Weber State is only about 100 minutes with no intermission so it makes for an easy, experimental night of theatre. Perfect for a college black box where students should be encouraged to workshop new material. All of the singing is excellent and like I said the creativity with all the production elements is out in spades. Alice by Heart is playing at Weber State at the Eccles Theatre black box in Ogden through October 12th and this trip down the rabbit rabbit hole is well worth it.
Alice By Heart plays October 9-12 at 7:30pm and October 12th at 2pm at the Eccles Theatre in the Val A. Browning Center on the Weber State University Campus, 3950 W Campus Drive, Ogden, Utah, 84408. Tickets are $13-18. For more information see https://www.weber.edu/theatre/theatre-season.html
