When You Grow Up?
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
Alice is travelling, once again finding her way through Wonderland. It’s been five years since Alice was first on stage, created by Bad Hats Theatre, in conjunction with Soulpepper. This new, updated Alice in Wonderland has been a very popular children’s show. But I must add that adults will also absolutely enjoy this silly and sweet version of the old story.
It’s an modern Alice who arrives at school without her homework completed. She was just too baffled by the question “What am I going to be when I grow up?” The teacher, Mr. Charles, is not pleased and he relegates her to the back of the classroom to finish her project. But she is completely distracted by a rabbit outside the window. Yes, she follows the rabbit, who is late, down a rabbit hole. While there, she runs into the usual characters, such as the Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, the Queen of Hearts with all her playing- card servants, and the March Hare and Mad Hatter. All the characters are updated and actually look much like her classmates and teacher.
In 2023, this production of Alice in Wonderland won six Dora awards including Outstanding New Musical and Outstanding Musical Theatre Production. Tess Benger, who at that time was in the role of Alice, won the Dora award for actor in a leading role in a musical.
Now the musical is on the move, touring various theatres, and landing at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre until June 1. It’s a different cast from the one I saw in 2023 at the Young Centre in Toronto’s Distillery District, but equally as entertaining.
Colleen Furlan gives us a very curious Alice, frustrated when grown-ups won’t answer her question. Dave Ball is amazing as the school teacher who turns into the White Rabbit. As Mr. Charles he is responsible for Alice’s frustration, being unable to answer her questions and shutting down her curiosity. Similarly, as the rabbit, he leads the way for Alice to go down the rabbit hole without providing any explanations.
The cast members who play elementary school children are all excellent. They are certainly convincing and you soon forget that they are adults. They are also strange and funny when they are characters in Wonderland.
The songs are cleverly written, and move the plot along. Music is provided by several of the actors, who appear to simply take turns sitting down at the piano. The cast members also provide percussion (beating on a wooden box), clarinet, base guitar, and melodica as needed, while carrying on in their roles. Special mention goes to Eden Chiam as the Red Queen and Anika Venkatesh as the Cheshire Cat for their beautiful singing. Dance and movement are excellent throughout; actors stay in character as children or Wonderland people and creatures.
Among the various scenes in Wonderland, the metamorphosis of Emry Tupper as the Caterpillar who turns into a beautiful Butterfly stands out. The singing flower garden is also lovely. There are funny scenes with Tweedle Dum (Chelsea Preston) and Tweedle Dee (Christopher Fulton) or the Dodo (Ben Kopp). The Unicorn (Rose Callaghan) is a delightful and calming creature. The croquet game needs a little coordination – it doesn’t seem like any of the cast actually knows how croquet is played and what it should look like. A mallet should not be swung like a baseball bat.
My junior reviewer, granddaughter Hazel who is five years old, likes Alice best. She especially likes the red overalls that Alice wears. They are much nicer than the blue dress Alice wore in the old animated movie, according to Hazel. She was spellbound in the beginning and the end, but got a little restless in the middle. She loves the delicious, fresh popcorn at the Capitol so snacking really helped. Like the rest of the theatre goers, she jumped to her feet, applauding loudly at the conclusion. However, she tells me she found all the cheering from the happy audience was a little too loud.
The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
This modern-day Alice in Wonderland is the perfect updating of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It contains all the same fantasy and whimsy and does much better at bringing it all to a logical conclusion, as Alice makes her way back to reality and her classroom. But the questions remain: Will she grow up? What will she be?
Alice in Wonderland continues with eight shows a week at the Capitol Theatre, Port Hope until June 1, 2025. Visit https://capitoltheatre.com/ or call 905-885-1071 for tickets.
Photo: Dave Ball as the White Rabbit, Colleen Furlan as Alice and Anika Venkatesh as the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Photo by Juan Echavarria.
Alice in Wonderland
Adapted by Fiona Sauder
Music by Landon Doak and Victor Pokinko
Dramaturgy by Matt Pilipiak
Directed by Sue Miner
Musical Direction by Jonathan Corkal-Astorga
Original Choreography by Carmeron Carver
Performed by Dave Ball, Rose Callaghan, Eden Chiam, Christopher Fulton, Colleen Furlan, Ben Dopp, Chelsea Preston, Emry Tupper, Anika Venkatesh, with stand-bys Matt Pilipiak, and Fiona Sauder
Originally produced by Bad Hats Theatre with Soulpepper Theatre
Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen St., Port Hope
May 16 to June 1, 2025
Reviewed by Mary Alderson