ALICE, FORMERLY OF WONDERLAND to Open at TheatreWorks

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley ushers in the holiday season with the Northern California Premiere of the enchanting new musical Alice, Formerly of Wonderland. Written by seven-time Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Saltzman, this charming a cappella musical is inspired by a true story: the Oxford romance of Alice Liddell and Prince Leopold, son of Queen Victoria and the great-grand-uncle of today's Prince Harry.

Liddell achieved global fame as Lewis Carroll's inspiration for the girl who fell down the rabbit hole. However, Alice is now eager to escape her storybook reputation and finds herself intrigued by the prince who has captivated the whole college campus. This musical favorite from TheatreWorks' 2025 New Works Festival features a magical score mixing gorgeously rendered harmonies of period tunes with original songs. TheatreWorks Founder/Artistic Director Emeritus Robert Kelley returns to direct this family-friendly holiday production.

“After directing some 25 holiday shows at TheatreWorks, I leapt at the chance to return and direct another,” said TheatreWorks Founder/Artistic Director Emeritus Robert Kelley. “This fascinating new musical captured my imagination and my heart at our New Works Festival in 2025. It's a song-filled adventure that combines a stodgy gray Oxford with a gloriously colorful Wonderland, featuring both Queen Victoria and the flamboyant Caterpillar from Lewis Carroll's classic, while following a grown-up Alice as she falls for an actual prince. Audiences will be delighted by this glorious holiday show that includes punting on the Thames, a mad tea party, a royal Christmas tree, and more.”

TheatreWorks is committed to creating an environment that is accessible for all audiences in its community. In collaboration with Gravity Access Services, TheatreWorks will offer audio description to assist patrons who are visually impaired at the performance 1:00pm Sunday, December 13 (to use audio description, patrons should pre-register at 877-662-8978 after purchasing tickets). American Sign Language interpretation will be available for the performance 7:30pm Thursday, December 17 and open captioning (a screen displaying all dialogue and a description of sound effects) will be offered for the performance 1:00pm Sunday, December 20. Assistive listening devices are offered at every performance with no advance registration required.

TheatreWorks will host a Backstage Banter pre-show conversation from 6:15-6:45pm Thursday, December 3 and will hold post-show discussions with the cast following the Wednesday, December 9; Wednesday, December 16; and Wednesday, December 23 performances.

Director Robert Kelley has assembled a talented cast to bring this whimsical and heartfelt musical to life on stage. Following her performance as the titular character in the 2026 TheatreWorks New Works Festival reading of Roja, Brianna Cielo makes her TheatreWorks mainstage debut in the title role of Alice Liddell. Cielo appeared in the national tour of The Last Match and has performed with Disney Cruise Line, Rhino Theatre, and New York's Don't Tell Mama cabaret.

Sam Faustine makes his TheatreWorks mainstage debut as Prince Leopold. He appeared in the TheatreWorks New Works Festival readings of Alice, Formerly of Wonderland and Revival. Faustine performed with the Broadway national tour of A Christmas Carol and has also appeared onstage at Paper Mill Playhouse, San Francisco Playhouse, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, San Jose Stage Company, Broadway By The Bay, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre, and Ray of Light Theatre. His opera and concert credits include San Francisco Symphony, West Edge Opera, Pocket Opera, and Opera Parallèle. He received Theatre Bay Area (TBA) and San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC) Award nominations for Best Actor in a Musical for Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd.

Adam KuveNiemann makes his TheatreWorks debut as the Caterpillar and other roles. KuveNiemann has acted with theatres including American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Marin Theatre, Center Repertory Company, San Francisco Playhouse, Shotgun Players, Aurora Theatre Company, Oakland Theater Project, Cutting Ball Theater, New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco Shakespeare Company, Berkeley Playhouse, Ray of Light Theatre, and Z Space. He also co-wrote JFK 'n Me, which played at PianoFight, and co-hosts the podcast "Green Eggs… and Man?"

Dyan McBride makes her TheatreWorks debut as Queen Victoria and other roles. McBride has performed with theatres including Berkeley Playhouse, Mountain Play Association, 42nd Street Moon, Lucky Penny Productions, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Center Repertory Company, Laguna Playhouse, Woodminster Summer Musicals, Broadway By The Bay, Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre, and New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Hunter Hoffman makes his TheatreWorks debut as Oxford classmate Edward Brocket and other roles. Hoffman appeared in The Public Theater's Mobile Unit national tour of Sweat and was an understudy for the play on Broadway. He also performed in the recent national tour of Oklahoma! and was seen at Studio Theatre, New York Shakespeare Festival, B Street Theatre, Capital Stage, Boise Contemporary Theater, and New Stage Theatre.

Seen in Memphis and Violet, John-Elliott Kirk returns to TheatreWorks as Dean Henry Liddell, Alice's father. He has acted with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco Symphony, and 42nd Street Moon, among others. He has also performed extensively with San Francisco Opera and with the San Francisco Lyric Chorus.

Alice, Formerly of Wonderland features direction by Robert Kelley; music direction by William Liberatore; choreography by Lysander Abadia; scenic design by Andrea Bechert; costume design by Julie Engelbrecht; lighting design by Steven B. Mannshardt; and sound design by Cliff Caruthers. Randall K. Lum is the stage manager with Nick Carvalho as assistant stage manager.

Mark Saltzman (playwright) is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning writer, playwright, screenwriter, and songwriter. He began his career writing for Jim Henson's Muppets before joining Sesame Street, where his sketches and songs earned seven Emmy Awards. Saltzman wrote book and lyrics for the off-Broadway hit Romeo and Bernadette, for which he won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Book. His stage credits also include A…My Name is Alice, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Falling for Make Believe, and Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood. His film and television credits include The Adventures of Milo and Otis, Three Ninjas Kick Back, Mrs. Santa Claus, and The Red Sneakers.

Robert Kelley (Director) is TheatreWorks' Founder. In 2020, Kelley retired from his post as Founding Artistic Director, where he had served as artistic head of the company since its inception in 1970. During his 50 seasons at the helm of the Tony recipient regional theatre, he directed more than 175 TheatreWorks productions, including many World and Regional premieres. In 2024 he co-created and helmed TheatreWorks' World Premiere tribute to Stephen Sondheim, Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration. In 2003 Kelley was honored with the SFBATCC Paine Knickerbocker Award for Lifetime Achievement, in 2016 was awarded the Jerry Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award from the SFBATCC, and in 2019 he received a TBA Legacy Award. Kelley received a TBA Award for his direction of Daddy Long Legs and SFBATCC Awards for Outstanding Direction for his productions of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Into the Woods, Pacific Overtures, Rags, Sweeney Todd, Another Midsummer Night, Sunday in the Park with George, and Caroline, or Change.