A Review of ALICE at Wheelock Family Theatre

October 24, 2014
By: Ali Hutchinson, editor and publisher of Macaroni Kid Newton-Brookline

Last weekend, my son, friend, and I were guests of the Wheelock Family Theatre for their production of Alice.  We attended the Sunday afternoon performance which was scheduled to begin at 3:00pm.  The literature on the production recommends the show for children ages 6 and up, so I decided to leave my 4 year old son at home.  In hindsight, although he most likely would not have been able to follow along with the plot, the action and colorful costumes most likely would have captured his attention enough to keep him engaged. 

From the moment we sat down, my son began asking questions about the set.  "Why is there a bed momma? Is Alice going to start there?  What is the wood on the side for?  Will they be going up and down?"  It was exciting to see the sparks of imagination fly and the intrigue build as we waited for the show to begin. I could tell he was anticipating and wondering about the show. The set design was creative and multi-purpose.  Many pieces were used for different purposes in different scenes throughout the show.

WFT's closed captioning along the side wall for the entire script was not nearly as distracting as I had initially thought it might be.  As a matter of fact, it turned out to be quite helpful.  My second grader who is learning to read and who sometimes misinterprets words in songs was able to follow along with the characters as they spoke and sang.  I never heard, "what did she say"?  He was able to refer to the closed captioning and figure it out for himself.

The show itself quickly drew us in. Right from Alice's (Maritza Bostic) first song, I began to feel for her; able to identify with a time when I wanted to do anything except that which was expected of me.  I remember the feeling when my parents said, "Don't disappoint me". That feeling was evident on Alice's face.  Between the characters facial expressions, voices, and mannerisms, we all felt as if we suddenly became a part of this world; a friend of Alice's; and we were making this journey with her.

I was especially impressed with the young actress who plays Alice's cat Dinah(Julia Talbot), and then dons a puppet to take on the persona of the Cheshire Cat.  At only 14 years old, both her physical interpretation of a cat's behavior and her vocal deliverance of the lines were strikingly accurate and those realms of reality and fantasy began to collide.

Alice's interactions with the Mouse (William Gardiner) were especially endearing; displaying tender conversations and moments of what you imagine might go on between Alice and her father.  The scenes with the Duchess and Cook as well as the Tea Party with the Mad Hatter, Hare, and Dormouse infused physical comedy into the show. There was also action in the aisles at times.  A range of emotions are felt as Alice finally finds her garden, is disappointed as it no longer looks how she imagined, and then comes to a realization about growing up.  Even my 7 year old looked up at me at one point with tears in his eyes.  Even as a young theatre goer, he was able to be drawn into the lives and emotions of the characters.  It is truly a magical show when a performance can cross ages and generations and have the same effect on vastly different people with different experiences.

I have to mention that by far the best part of the show for my son was after it was over, when the cast lined up in the foyer and were available for pictures and autographs.  He was enamored!  And although we got pictures with almost all of the cast, I'll share just a couple. The cast does this after every Sunday afternoon show.

Here he is with Alice and then with a couple of the Flower Buds. If you hadn't considered going to see the show, consider it.  Alice runs on Friday nights at 7:30, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.  

Please note:  I was given press tickets to review this show for my readers.  All of the ideas and statements in this article are my own.  

A new play at the Family Theatre. And a Dad's perspective!

 

The following exchange occurs near the beginning of the movie “Shakespeare in Love”:

Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.

Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?

Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.

Hugh Fennyman: How?

Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.

 

It’s not really a mystery.  It’s more like a miracle. (And, of course, only a producer could get away with saying “we do nothing.”)  I was lucky enough to witness such a miracle over the last few weeks.

 

My twelve year-old daughter Anna, had been given the opportunity to help bring a new work to life for the first time in a professional setting. She had been invited to perform as part of the Youth Ensemble in "Alice" at Wheelock Family Theatre.  Our job as parents was to make our children available for rehearsals in an ever changing environment. None of us could fully anticipate what we were getting ourselves into.

 

We felt comfortable heading into the unknown because Anna had performed in Wheelock’s production of The Hobbit last fall.  We knew that the atmosphere at WFT was professional, but mindful of the limitations of young performers - they did their best to limit the long hours and to allow the kids to get home at a reasonable hour on school nights. We also knew that Alice had been written and was to be directed by Andrew Barbato. Andrew was Bilbo last year and we knew him to be a very talented artist with a unique vision.

 

From the first table read it was evident that there was real brilliance in what Andrew had written and real talent among the performers assembled. At times, though, it really did seem like the obstacles to bringing it to life were insurmountable and disaster was imminent. Schedules, scripts and blocking changed by the day and sometimes by the hour. There never seemed to be enough time to accomplish everything. But somehow by the final dress rehearsal the cast and crew were able to present something close to Andrew’s vision.  There was no mystery to how success was achieved. The miracle was brought about by the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. Andrew kept asking the cast to give more of themselves and they rose to the occasion every single time. It was amazing to watch it all happen.

 

The experience of being able to work with seasoned professionals to put together a new show is something Anna will be able to carry with her always. All of the adults in the cast, especially Maritza Bostic (Alice) and Aubin Wise (The White Queen), treated the ensemble like valuable members of the team.

 

There were some disappointments.  Anna’s role (and that of all of the Youth Ensemble) was diminished from the original script.  She didn’t get to sing at all - which is what she enjoys doing most. We told her, “That’s show biz.  You just have to go out and do the best you can with whatever they ask you to do.” She did that to the best of her ability and she can be proud of the outcome, as can everyone involved.

-Stephen Kraffmiller

Alexandra Nader is the Cook in Wonderland!

My first show at Wheelock was "Beauty and the Beast" back in 2007. I remember vividly the first day of rehearsal. We went around the table and introduced ourselves and our characters. I was playing a Spoon. At the end of the table sat a beautiful African American woman named Angela Williams, she was the last to stand and say, "Hi everyone, I'm playing the role of 'Belle'". My eyes widened. I had never seen such unconventional casting. I had always dreamed of playing parts like 'Belle' but as a biracial child myself, I just never thought it was done.

Wheelock instilled in me, at a very young age, the idea that social conventions could be bent and that theater was an art available to all. I credit my experiences at Wheelock with the later decision to pursue Acting as a profession.

After "Beauty and the Beast" I went on to do two more Wheelock shows, "Peter Pan" and "Seussical ". After that time, I moved to New York City to attend The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. I graduated in 2012 and went on to Tour with TheaterWorksUSA, which made me a proud member of AEA. I continued to do small works thought the New York area and currently produce and co-create a webseries called "The Under 5ers" (www.theunder5ers.com).

I am thrilled to return to Wheelock, especially with this production of "Alice". Beyond my history with Wheelock is a history with this show and its creator Andrew Barbato. Andrew and I have known each other for over 5 years, we actually appeared in "Peter Pan" and "Seussical" together at Wheelock. In 2008 I was asked to come to Andrew's house and sing "some stuff" he has written inspired by Alice in Wonderland. That summer a group of kids gathered in a basement and performed the first installment of "Alice".

Creating with that group of young artists is one of my fondest memories to date. I am grateful that Wheelock and Andrew have allowed me to take this journey once again, down the rabbit hole.

"Beauty and the Beast" at Wheelock Family Theatre 2007.

Director's Notes - Andrew Barbato

Four years ago, I spent the summer locked away in the Stoneham Theatre basement with a small tribe of creatively charged young artists. We hung clip lights to the ceiling, hot glued costumes together, acquired a lovely old ladder from a sweet old man on craigslist, and thus, ALICE was born. The show has grown up quite a bit since then. ALICE had an award winning run in New York's Midtown International Theatre Festival and is now being brought to new heights by the professional artists at the Wheelock Family Theatre! But no matter how far this show sails, underneath the beautiful stage and behind the cellar door you will find that tiny tribe of young artists who spent the summer dragging a dream into reality. Nothing's Impossible.

Mad as a Hatter. Russell Garrett plays iconic role in new Wonderland at Wheelock

I have been a theatre artist for many years now and one thing that never gets tiring is seeing and feeling an audience respond to a live performance. That becomes even more exciting when I realize that many of the patrons in the audience are young people who may not have seen a lot of theatre; or perhaps the show I’m performing in may be the first live show they have ever seen.  Wheelock Family Theatre provides that for so many young people and their families.

ALICE marks my second time performing at WFT.  I previously played Uncle Archibald in THE SECRET GARDEN and although I was a small part of that show, the engagement and joy of the audience was palpable.  Here was a well-known story, primarily about children, who’s telling rested so much on the young actors’ shoulders.  The audience was spellbound, not only by the story, but the fact that they were seeing kids their own age bringing it to life right in front of their eyes.  This was further validated on days the ‘red carpet’ was rolled out in the lobby and countless children were given the opportunity to meet the actors who had moved them and have a personal moment with them.  It was joyous and a little humbling to realize how transformative theatre can be.

Though that was my only experience working with WFT (up until now) I have seen countless productions here.  The spell cast is always the same: a story that can appeal to both young and old and an approach that continues to de-mystify our perceptions of color and ability.  WFT has always held fast to their mission of non-traditional casting and has led the way here in Boston to provide wonderful opportunities for adults and children alike to not only take the stage playing roles they may not play elsewhere, but for audiences to see stories that reach beyond color and race.  The stories are about people.

Maritza Bostic is Alice in new Wonderland at Wheelock

A Reading, MA native, Maritza is a proud member of Salem State's graduating class of 2014 with a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts Performance. She was recently a finalist in KCACTF Region 1 Festival where she received the VASTA Award and Linklater Scholarship. Her recent credits include: Into the Woods (Lyric Stage Co of Boston), Hairspray (Wheelock Family Theatre), A Little Princess(Fiddlehead Theatre), Les Misérable (Reagle Music Theatre), School House Rock Live! (Boston Children's Theatre). 

As any actor I have my usual list of concerns when going in for auditions. Am I right for the part? Did I pick the right song? Do I look young/old enough for the role? Does it matter if this character is African American? Now of course, there are shows where race is essential to the telling of the story. But, as I got older, I started to differentiate those stories from the roles that just so happened to be originated by someone who was typically Caucasian. And to me that meant there was no reason for anyone to feel like they could not do a part because the character didn’t “traditionally” look like them.

After coming from being a Dynamite in WFT’s recent production of Hairspray I was ecstatic to be gifted with the iconic character of Alice from the story Alice in Wonderland. I remember not knowing whether to cry or scream while on the phone with the director. I was nervous because this would be my first major lead role in professional theatre. But ultimately, I cried because I had again been validated as who I was: an actor.

The Wheelock Family Theatre is the perfect place for someone to try something new. Wheelock is about bringing theatre to people of all types of multicultural background as well as accessibility to people with disabilities. And what enhances their ability to do that so wonderfully is by having shows filled with diverse casts. It is so great being part of a theatre company that fosters inclusion within the audience, to the people who work behind the scenes, and are seen on stage. 

Maritza Bostic with Ciera-Dawn Washington and Kerry Wilson-Ellenberger in HAIRSPRAY
Maritza Bostic with Leigh Barrett in rehearsal for ALICE.