Wonderland Review, Tampa 12/20

[florida theatre kid]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 12:10am

I saw Wonderland last night. For lack of better words, it was good. Not as bad as I was expecting, but nowhere near great or ready for a Broadway run.

The cast, for the most part, is uniformly strong. The role of Alice would not work without someone who has amazing star power, and fortunately, Janet Dacal does. Her voice and acting are in top form, and she blows the roof off of Ferguson Hall during her 11 o'clock number, "Finding Wonderland." She was, obviously, the crowd favorite. Other standouts include Tommar Wilson as the Caterpillar, and Karen Mason as the Queen of Hearts, who nails her big number "Off With Their Heads."

My only big complaint about the casting is Nikki Snelson as the Mad Hatter. Perhaps it's not her fault, but rather the fact that the Mad Hatter has absolutely no character development, but I felt like I was watching Nikki Snelson playing Nikki Snelson. She played the role the exact same way she played Brooke in Legally Blonde and Cassie in A Chorus Line. Even with the role having a lack of characterization, in the right hands, the role still has the potential to become a showstopper. Her voice sounds awfully strained. I wasn't sure if she was going to survive "The Nick of Time." It was painful to listen to. I can't imagine what would happen to her voice if she were to continue in the role.

I didn't find the score as awful as others have made it sound. Some songs were very catchable, most notably "Through the Looking Glass" and "Don't Wanna Fall in Love." The choreography was a little too dance recital-ish for me. The young dancers, whom judging from many of their bios seem to be recent high school graduates, are all very talented, but seem to be stuck in "studio-world". Some of the numbers didn't work because they all seemed to want to stand out as a solo dancer, rather than mesh together as a group. The sets and costumes are little over-the-top. Sometimes it works, but at other times I felt like I was on the Lilo and Stitch ride at Disneyworld.

The biggest problem with the show is the direction. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. I cant think of any specific examples, there were just so many. Lots of random walking across the stage, standing around, and wandering. Just a sense of confusion on the stage.

From this review it may sound like the show is bad, and honestly, it is not. The cast and the score make for a memorable evening, and if you live in Tampa or Houston, I strongly advise you to go see Wonderland. It may be your only chance.

Posted: 12/22/09 at 12:19am

Great, thorough review!

I'm seeing the show this Saturday evening. I don't have high expectations, but hey, it's a great opportunity to see a world premiere show in Florida. So happy to see such a fabulous venue like TBPAC (or rather, the Straz Center) hosting an "out-of-town try-out" (whether or not the show actually makes it to Broadway).

[florida theatre kid]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 12:21am

Thanks! That was my main reason for seeing the show too. I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to see a new musical in Tampa!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 8:59am

I didn't know there was a Lilo and Stitch ride in DISNEYWORLD!