BWW Reviews: Journey to WONDERLAND With the World Premiere Musical at Alley Theatre

During its world premiere now at the Alley Theatre, the musical Wonderland invites you to take a break from the bustle of life and travel with Alice down the rabbit hole to rediscover your inner child.

Wonderland is not an adaption of Lewis Carroll's famous childhood story, but it does take place in the fictional world we all know. Instead of following the adventures of a little girl, Wonderland recounts the dream journey of Alice Cornwinkle, an author struggling to balance time between her career and family. This inventive choice of heroine sets the stage for a unique perspective of the classic tale by allowing us to experience Wonderland through the eyes of an adult. Written by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd, who previously collaborated for The Civil War, Wonderland is full of thought provoking nuggets of wisdom that add depth to the story culminating in the notion that each person decides who they want to be and that we are all our "own invention".

Played by Janet Dacal (In The Heights, Good Vibrations), Alice immediately begins the show by explaining to her husband, Jack, (Darren Ritchie, Dracula: The Musical), that she can't go home with him because she has to attend a Manhattan party and make a speech in acceptance of an award named after Lewis Carroll. For Jack, this decision is the last straw and he tells her that he's signed their divorce papers leaving Alice to proclaim this is the "Worst Day of My Life" as the show's opening number.

Their daughter, Chloe, played by Julie Brooks (Fiddler on the Roof national tour) runs away after overhearing the news of her parents' divorce. Alice then faints while walking home in a thunderstorm and dreams Chloe has left clues to her location in a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Alice learns she must make it to the "eighth square" and become queen in order to fine Chloe.

Standing in Alice's way is the Mad Hatter, played by Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde), who marvelously portrays Wonderland's villain in a role that feels was written just for her. The Hatter captures Chloe proclaiming her innocence and ability to dream make her an "undesirable" who must be "de-brained".

As Alice makes her way through Wonderland, she encounters people from her life who take on the re-invented characters from Carroll's original story including the White Rabbit, the Cat, the Caterpillar and the Queen of Hearts. The characters help Alice remember what it was like to be a child and by re-discovering the importance of imagination, she is able to overcome the Mad Hatter who symbolizes her own cynicism.

Composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War) has created several memorable melodies that will remain in your head long after the curtain has closed. "Through The Looking Glass" is especially catchy providing a powerful end to Act 1 and the beautiful ballad, "Once More I Can See," allows Dacal's lower notes to shine.

Wonderland relies upon Alice's developing divorce and search for her daughter to emotionally draw the audience to her plight, however this is only mildly successful in the beginning as the opening dialogue sequence of Alice and Jack arguing creates a slow start. Wonderland could benefit from an overture medley of Wildhorn's fantastic melodies to come to help build anticipation and excitement before this low key introduction. Once Alice does arrive in Wonderland, it takes a long time to introduce all the characters and becomes monotonous with each character taking their turn to sing after we meet them. It's not until late in the first act when the Mad Hatter's plan is revealed that the plot finally has momentum which continues all the way through a tight second act.

Wonderland does have a constant succession of comedic moments, many of which are created by characters singing in unexpected musical styles. The most successful example is when Jack, who enters Alice's dream as a handsome re-invention of the White Knight, joins with his companions to flawlessly portray a ‘90's boy band. Ritchie serenades the audience with a great smooth voice but it's the backup dancers who steal these numbers selling the idea of a boy band with perfect attitude and vocals. Marguerite Derricks' choreography also shines during these songs and she has provided many noteworthy dance moments throughout the show especially a unique, intricate umbrella sequence during the opening.

The complex lightning and costuming throughout Wonderland often combine to create an over-load for the eye. I appreciate that an over-the-top look helps create the feeling of a dream world, but if this was the intention then the costuming during the Manhattan party could be more muted to provide a contrast with Wonderland. While the costumes are sometimes unnecessarily busy, Susan Hilferty (Tony Award winner for Wicked) has designed costumes which brilliantly suggest the complex forms of characters in Carroll's Wonderland without burdening the actors, especially with the Caterpillar. The dress worn by the Queen of Hearts also has masterful structure inspired by a fanned deck of cards.

Set design and lighting are indistinguishable in Wonderland as a large light board at the back of the stage sets the scene for many moments in the show. Sometimes the moving images on the lighted board add to the scene (especially the rainbows, hearts and rotating white rooks which help sell the cheese of the White Knight's numbers) but other times unnecessary moving images distract from the action on stage. The lighting as set design, however, does create an impressive effect of passing apartment floors and tunnels as Alice first rides down an elevator to enter Wonderland.

This World Premiere production of Wonderland originally opened on Sat. Dec. 5, 2009 at Ferguson Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and is the first initiative of the Broadway Genesis Project intended to help create new works of American theatre. Boyd, who wears a second hat as Director, has brought the production to the Alley Theatre where he has served as artistic director since 1989.

As a developing musical that underwent rewrites between its Tampa and Houston productions, Wonderland understandably still has some flaws but it has the potential to be something amazing with musical variety, memorable characters and a heartwarming message. Wildhorn, Boyd and Murphy are re-inventing a beloved children's story into a touching kaleidoscope of color and sound that should not be missed.

Wonderland runs through February 14 at the Alley Theatre. Tickets can be purchased through the Alley Theatre box office, by phone at 713-220-5700 or at www.alleytheatre.org. To discover more about Wonderland, view photographs of the production and listen to music samples, visit the official website at www.wonderlandthemusical.org.

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