Alice by Heart
The musical is inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and was originally presented by London's Royal National Theatre in 2012.She then receives advice from the Cheshire Cat; dances the Lobster Quadrille with the White Rabbit ("Those Long Eyes"); gets berated for growing up too fast by the Duchess; plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts ("Manage Your Flamingo") and other slight twists on scenes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.Director Jessie Nelson noted: “We’re attempting to explore the power of a book and what the story has meant to this girl…”[6] The musical made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Newman Mills Theatre at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in January 2019, with an official opening on February 26, for a limited run until April 7, 2019.[7] The world premiere production of Alice by Heart was announced on March 21, 2018, as part of MCC's inaugural season in its new permanent two-venue off-Broadway home.[9] It is directed by Jessie Nelson with choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman, set design by Edward Pierce, costumes by Paloma Young and lighting by Bradley King.Ben Brantley of The New York Times stated "The real-world characters are so hastily established and sketchily drawn that there's nothing compelling or surprising in their metamorphoses."[18] Matt Windman of amNewYork Metro gave the show two out of four stars and stated, "Although sincerely intended and full of creative touches, Alice by Heart is a disjointed, depressing and bewildering mess.Frank Rizzo of Variety praised the performances, stating "The cast is solid, though the peripheral characters are thinly drawn even as their surreal alter egos revel in extravagance.Wesley Taylor has an especially fine time as the Mad Hatter, and Andrew Kober takes on five roles with flair, including King of Hearts and an imposing Jabberwocky.