When the International Children’s Festival of the Arts rolls around, it’s time to bring on the fun and go down an extraordinary rabbit hole. Perhaps one of the festival’s biggest wonders is the much-anticipated Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.
St. Albert Children’s Theatre (SACT) reprises this 60-minute musical last performed for 2008 festival audiences. Eight shows are running at the St. Albert Curling Rink from Thursday, May 29 to Sunday, June 1.
Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic, the musical reintroduces the adventurous Alice who tumbles down a rabbit hole, the always-late White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, the cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, as well as the childish and hot-tempered Queen of Hearts, among many.
The plot follows Alice who is outdoors and quite distracted listening to her sister, Mathilde. A young adventurer, she would rather be out exploring the world. Alice begins daydreaming and spots a nervous White Rabbit who panics about being late. She chases him but ends up toppling down a rabbit hole and lands in the nonsensical world of Wonderland.
SACT artistic director Janice Flower’s vision directing her 30-plus actors is laser focused on creating an enjoyable experience for audiences.
“There’s not any deep meaning as far as this production goes. It’s a fun story. It all takes place in Alice’s imagination, and the characters are wacky, big and broad and cartoonish in a way.”
A strong, sensitive director always selects a play based on the actors' strengths and Flower has revealed those qualities in spades.
“This year we have a lot of new kids. When you have new actors, it’s always good to have the weight distributed equally. All have shining moments, but no one has the entire weight of the play on their shoulders. We have enough time to make sure we work on their parts, and they feel confident about their performance.”
Due to the requirements of this bizarre tale, Alice will be played by three different actresses depending on whether she shrinks or grows. Mylee Zopf is Medium Alice, who participates in most of the musical numbers. Caliah Dunn as Little Alice sings in a few songs and Jorjia Sorenson as Tall Alice appears for a few cameo style moments.
The perpetually grinning Cheshire Cat (1, 2, 3), who also is the narrator, is a magical feline who doesn’t always agree with itself. The three actors playing it are Téa Gagnon, Cooper Rojotte and Reid Olsson.
The White Rabbit, a fussy and slightly nervous royal trumpeter, is played by Connor Woodley, a longtime SACT regular. And of course, Tweedle Dee (Keiran Torok-Both) and Tweedle Dum (Eliot Frankiw) are the twins undergoing an identity crisis.
“They’re different actors, but they’re like the same person. They even look alike.”
Flower explained the musical's 15 songs are an eclectic collection from Alice’s poppy In a World of My Own to the Latin vibe of Caucus Race.
“This is a fun, magical show for kids to see. There’s never a dull moment and even the youngest will be entertained with the wacky characters, bright costumes and fine music.”
Patrons wishing to see Alice in Wonderland are encourage to purchase their tickets early as 72 per cent of tickets are already sold. Tickets are $18.25 including GST, handling charges and fees. They are available online at tickets.stalbert.ca.
