By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
More than 50 actors and actresses will hit the Whitewater High School Auditorium stage for the production of “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”
A second showing of “Alice in Wonderland will be tonight, April 7, at 7 p.m.
Under the direction of band teacher Liz Elliot, the cast includes three differently-sized Alices (A spunky girl who enjoys adventures and is on a journey of self-discovery) Rachel Luckett (Alice), Audrey Mayer (small Alice) and Alex Martin (tall Alice).
“I am very similar to Small Alice because like me, she is, well, small! She is also curious and gets bored easily,” Mayer said.
In this fast-paced, one act musical, Alice spies a White Rabbit hurrying by on a perfect summer day in the park. Curious to know where he is going, Alice follows him into the dark tunnel, thus beginning her adventure.
After the “Doorknob” counsels Alice to drink from a bottle and then eat a cookie, Alice shrinks, allowing her to fit through a keyhole, beginning her adventures with the Wonderland creatures.
The White Rabbit leads Alice into twin jabbering clowns, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, who teach her some manners. Then, she plays a wild game of musical chairs at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Following the advice of the Cheshire Cats, she ends up at the Mad Hatter’s tea part along with the evil Queen of Hearts. Waking up, Alice realizes the entire story has been a dream.
Working their magic behind the scenes as the backstage crew are Arno Crowley, Jake Hintz, Bailee Korf, Henry Mortimer, Abigail Olson and Rebecca Schmidt.
Supporting Elliott in this production are assistant directors Calla Craze and Alyssa Reetz, Choreographer Lynn Lema, Jen Smith and Becky Hoesly with costumes, and set construction and lighting design by Jim McCulloch.
“Alice in Wonderland, Jr.” is based on Lewis Carroll’s “The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking Glass” (1871), and the classic 1951 Walt Disney animated film, “Alice in Wonderland,” featuring updated dialogue and new arrangements of such classic Disney songs as “I’m Late,” “The Un-birthday Song” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”
“The musical is one of many great opportunities for our WMS students to experience, both as a participant and as an audience member,” Middle School Principal Tanya Wojciechowicz said. “Our actors and musicians get a chance to showcase their talents, and the audience gets to connect with the ‘Alice and Wonderland, Jr.’ storyline through a live performance. It’s also very exciting to get to see students take on roles and portray characters that they connect with, or who are vastly different from them in real life. The show will be a rewarding experience for all in attendance.”
The April 6 show is a “Pay What You Can” evening, with suggested donations of $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. On April 7, tickets will cost $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Children five and under will be free both nights.
General seating tickets for this fast-paced musical will be available at the WHS Box office beginning at 6:15 p.m.
