ALICE BY HEART AT WEST VALLEY ARTS IS A VISUAL WONDERLAND

WEST VALLEY – West Valley Arts is keeping up the strong work with their latest production, Alice By Heart, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. Directed by Brooklyn Pulver Kohler with book by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson, music by Duncan Sheik and Lyrics by Steven Sater, Alice By Heart is not your typical musical.

Not knowing much about the production, other than it was somehow tied to Alice in Wonderland, I was a bit surprised to find a bleak and sparse set (by Morgan Golightly) upon entering the theatre. The top of a tunnel is suspended above, railroad tracks run across the stage between entryways arched in cement, each topped by a clock. Scattered about the stage are army cots, crates and trunks. No music plays and an eerie lighting effect (by Renee Fowler) creates a jagged, imprisoned feeling. The program offers a thorough plot synopsis however, explaining what is about to ensue. Set in 1941 in the wake of the London Blitz in an underground tube station turned bomb shelter, Alice Spencer, played by Ivy Dunbar Jones, is confined to the bunker with her best friend Alfred, played by Charlie Baytieh, who is suffering a terminal illness. Alice escapes their stark reality through her book, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, reading to dying best friend Alfred. When a cruel nurse destroys her book, Alice is determined to prove she knows the story by heart. As she begins to tell it, the fellow shelter-mates become the cast of characters, turning the shelter and its sparse furnishings into a magical wonderland.

Jones has a strong singing voice, but the character she creates is at times vocally grating and seems affected–as if she is trying to create a melodramatic angsty teenager by falling into a whiny, nasally voice, particularly in the first half of the production. This vocal tendency combined with her English dialect, makes her challenging to understand at times. This works okay as part of her character arc, but is a bit distracting. There are moments however, particularly towards the end of the production, in songs such as “I’ve Shrunk Enough” where Jones taps into a deeper, more authentic character reflected both in her more grounded vocals and convincing portrayal of the maturing Alice. Baytieh’s Alfred contrasts Alice in his calm and quiet demeanor, but next to her exaggerated character, he reads a bit weak and listless at times. His singing voice is a bit pitchy throughout, but for the most part it works as part of his character who is young and sick. However, his laid-back style when applied to his White Rabbit character counterpart, lacks a bit of the tense and hurried feeling that defines that character and should help drive the pace of the production.

There are some incredible vocal standouts in the cast. Makayla Palos Rodriguez as Tabatha and the Cheshire Cat has a stunning voice. Both of her solo numbers, “Those Long Eyes” and “Some Things Fall Away” are rich and moving. April Kerr as Angus and Caterpillar 1 is vocally evocative and captivating. Kerr’s vocals are smooth as smoke in “Chillin’ The Regrets”. Rachel Mardis and Carly Haberman shine vocally as the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds respectively. The sing-off in “Isn’t It a Trial?” between Kerr and Haberman initially, and ultimately trumped by Mardis as the Queen of Hearts, is fantastic. The acting throughout is generally well done, with standouts by Isaac Carrillo as Harold and the Mad Hatter and Noah Lee as Nigel and the Dormouse. But perhaps the best moment in the production, both vocally and in terms of character and comic timing goes to Sam Teuscher as the Duchess. With a show-stealing white corseted gown (by Tabitha Sublette), elaborate wig (by Savanna Finley), perfectly matched to his beard, Teuscher is a sight to behold. In the Duchess’s encounter with Alice, Teuscher expertly wields his large white fan to punctuate his speech and to punish Alice. His comic timing is fantastic as he commands the stage and the audience’s applause.

The strongest elements of the production are the visuals created by the artistic team. The staging by Kohler and Assistant Director Yasamin Marashi, combined with the simple but splendid choreography by Emily Henwood is spectacular. With Sublette’s costumes and Renee Fowler’s lighting design layered on top, the result is pure magic. This magical world is first hinted at in the opening scene when the cots almost begin to float away before suddenly returning to the ground. Soon we see Alice take charge of her fantastical world by directing, puppet-like, the rest of the cast into their new roles in Wonderland. The bomb-shelter dissipates with the ease of a magician and we find ourselves in a whole new world. These quick change moments are remarkably choreographed and smooth, with set and costume changes happening on stage in a blink of an eye. Alice’s initial transformation into her signature blue dress and the Duchess’s transformation in and out of her incredible white gown are but two examples of many such occurrences. The creative repurposing of props by Marilyn Montgomery, such as the gas-masks that become flamingo heads in wonderland is worth mentioning.

Sublette’s costuming overall is sensational, with dark, moody undertones and layers of muted colors and repurposed pieces such as the long fringe of neckties creating depth and movement in the Hatter’s coat. Complemented by Finley’s wigs, from the subtle hair-sculpted ears of the Cheshire Cat (Rodriguez) and Dormouse (Lee), to the gorgeous marbled purple braids sported by Olivia Lane as Caterpillar 2, and culminating in the Duchess and Queen’s spectacular updos, the wigs are truly works of art in this production. Sublette and Finley outdo themselves in the Queen of Heart’s gown, with paniers made entirely of weathered playing cards, creating an almost armored look, and wig made entirely of red roses, creating a sensational yet whimsically royal appearance.

Even more captivating than the costume and scenic transformations are Kohler’s and Henwood’s creation of living tableaus. It’s difficult to delineate where staging ends and choreography begins, which is in itself a credit to both. Early on, the caterpillar grows and grows created by chain of human bodies swirling around the stage in “Chillin’ No Regrets”. The “Lobster Waltz” choreography is endearing in its simplicity. Kohler’s eye for visual pictures is evident throughout and particularly notable in “Some Things Fall Away” where she has created a garden of breathing and trembling flowers from the cast holding colorful textured umbrellas. Visually stunning is the creation of the giant monster-like Jabberwock in “Brilig Braelig”. The Jabberwock is played by Monte Garcia, but is created by the entire cast as they dress Garcia in headdress, wings and gloves, before being absorbed into the growing physical presence of the monster until it becomes a giant rotating presence that fills almost the entire space.

Alice By Heart is a somewhat dark, brooding musical that explores themes of war, death and grief, but does so through the metaphors of a fantastical other world, making the themes more accessible and profound. WVA’s production is well done and well worth catching before the run ends.