My Experience With... Alice in Wonderland (Rachael Peatross edition)

Let me start off by saying that I am not an acclaimed / renowned critic or reviewer. However, I'm going to do a play review anyway.

So there. ^_^

Sometimes you don't need to look too far to get some good entertainment. Sometimes it's right around your neighborhood. For me, it was a small Christian school in North Carolina.


My friend Rachel is pretty good with drama (the theatrical kind, you internet smart alecks), and she's had her fair share of directing plays. She recently directed Alice in Wonderland, a version she wrote herself, combining elements of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Saw There. I was personally excited to see it, and went with some friends this past weekend. I was not disappointed in the least.


Firstly, I walked in, and the "stage" was more of the middle of the floor, with the chairs set  like it was the Globe Theatre. I personally like this kind of setting, as it connects the audience to the characters, and vise versa. Secondly, this was a play with most of the characters played by middle schoolers.

And.

They.

ROCKED IT.


I don't know what Rachel did with this bunch, but they were all really great in their roles, and their improv had me in stitches. I wish I could say something about every last one of these characters, but I'll put down which ones I remember the most.

Alice - The actress was pretty good in this role, as a young girl who pretty much was ready to roll with the punches that was Wonderland.

Mad Hatter - The only thing that stood out more than his great acting ability would probably be his height. His matter-of-factness about his madness made him a really memorable character.

March Hare - Okay, I will admit that she was my favorite character. She was just a bundle of energy, and I loved it! I can only imagine that she took her madness to the same extreme that a trombone player would take fortissimo.

Humpty Dumpty - Loved her air of arrogance throughout her performance! Nice change from cravat to scarf, by the way. :)

Reciter - I was floored by how well she had all of those lines memorized!

The Tweedles - Those two were amazingly hilarious... kinda had a Laurel/Hardy / Abbot/Costello thing going on.


Like I said, too many to actually write down here, but overall, this cast did an excellent job in their character roles.


The story itself contains its special mixtures of the original stories' structures, bits of comedy pertaining to contemporary life, dancing, puns, improv, even it's own sort of Pyramus and Thisbe! I would find this suitable for children at least 5 and above, making it a perfect family play.

Now, since last week was the *ahem* premiere of this play, I'm not sure that you will find a theatre near you that's hosting this play. You may need to contact Rachel herself about it. She'll talk to you about it further.


Well, hope you liked my first theatrical review! I hope to do more soon.


Now the question:

Have you seen a play written by a local? Have you written a play or your own version of a play? Please let me know your experience in the comments below! Ciao!