NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The first indication that you're not seeing a run-of-the-mill stage production of Alice in Wonderland is when the White Rabbit appears suspended 30 feet over the stage and does a somersault through a hoop.
So begins one of the most innovative and thrilling retellings of Lewis Carroll's legacy, this time infused with the physicality of circus. The characters soar on ropes, make tumble passes, balance on each other, throw teacakes, dance to salsa and play musical instruments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful combination,鈥� says Molly Hern谩ndez, who plays Alice. 鈥淲onderland is so fantastical, as is circus. And it鈥檚 honest and raw and silly and all of the human things that we sometimes hide from 鈥� the childish wonder within ourselves, the fear of making mistakes.鈥�
The show 鈥淟ookingglass Alice鈥� from the has been a local treat for decades, but this year gets national attention with
鈥淟ookingglass has always wanted to embody feeling and idea through physicality,鈥� said Scott Silberstein, an artistic associate at the theater and co-founder of which filmed the show.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a very physical theater company and not in the kind of rock 鈥榥鈥� roll, let鈥檚 throw things around, but how do we really inhabit our physical being to elicit emotion as well as tell a story effectively?鈥�
鈥淟ookingglass Alice鈥� is a show where folding chairs fly out of picnic baskets, the White Knight rides a unicycle, characters bounce on massive balls and Alice has a tea party with an audience member 鈥� pinkies up, don鈥檛 forget.
It's adapted and directed by founding ensemble member David Catlin, who was among a group of Northwestern students who created the theater company in 1988. Carroll鈥檚 stories so captivated them that they named themselves after his book "Through the Looking-Glass," the sequel to "Alice鈥檚 Adventures in Wonderland."
The 95-minute PBS broadcast of 鈥淟ookingglass Alice鈥� is accompanied by a short documentary about the company, with an appearance from David Schwimmer, a founding member who put his own money into the fledgling troupe.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 see a lot of regional theater on public television,鈥� said Silberstein. 鈥淗ere鈥檚 the magic that can happen in your neighborhood, in your city. This stuff happens all over the country. And we don鈥檛 really talk about it enough.鈥�
Catlin's version was crafted in 2005 and calls for just five actors 鈥� including two alternating as Alice due to the physical demands of the role. It is in many ways a sort of vertical storytelling, using the space above the actors and audience in new ways.
鈥淪omething that I think is so cool that is happening in theater as a whole right now is we are expanding a lot of what we think theater is or what it looks like, what storytelling is, who comes to see plays and what that even means,鈥� says Hern谩ndez.
The circus tricks energize and echo the whimsical script, which is filled with Carroll鈥檚 own language tricks and puns. The rabbit hole here is a hoop and Carroll鈥檚 joke on the story being a yarn actually turns into a rope swing for Alice.
鈥淭he underlying work has so many layers to it that you can meet that work and just be kind of dazzled by the vibrant characters in it and the situations. But if you dig deeper, he鈥檚 layered it with meaning,鈥� said Catlin.
In one scene, shoes fall from the ceiling and are later picked up by the Caterpillar 鈥� three performers moving in perfect synch. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 explain myself because I鈥檓 not myself, you see,鈥� says Alice. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just all very confusing.鈥�
Catlin began work on the script when his daughter was very young, and he delved into Carroll鈥檚 stories in Neverland in the same spirit as the author 鈥� hoping to counsel children not to be in such a hurry to grow up.
So the Red and White Queens loom over Alice a little like parents hover a crib, the queens alternate between irrational and rational thoughts like children struggling to understand their world, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party is like a never-ending frat party and the death of Humpty Dumpty nudges Alice to grow up.
One of Catlin's favorite moments is when Alice untangles knotted ropes high over the stage 鈥� a lovely metaphor for life 鈥� and turns them into a grand swing, whooping with glee as she eventually soars back and forth over the audience.
鈥淎s a father of a daughter, seeing a female character find agency through their own strength and will, I find it takes the breath away,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope it will for everyone who gets to see it.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
