‘Alice,’ with a twist

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is a classic tale of a girl who falls through a rabbit hole and into a fantasy world.

That basic story won’t change on the stage this weekend.

The details within it will get a twist.

Jay County Junior-Senior High School’s production of “Alice in Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole,” an adaptation of the 1865 Lewis Carroll novel, opens on Friday night.

The show — performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday — is described as bringing a contemporary point of view to the novel, movie, musical and play that are well-known.

“It’s really interesting because they point aspects of Wonderland that you normally wouldn’t see or that are different,” said JCHS sophomore Ali McGraw, who plays the titular character. “And some of the characters have different character traits than the movie. It’s a whole new experience.”

She refers to Alice as more snobby than the prim and proper young lady to whom audiences are accustomed. The girl clad in her blue and white dress also sometimes does things that are simply unjustifiable, McGraw said.

While some characters — Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are examples — are absent from the 90-minute production, it has most of those audiences are used to seeing. That includes, the Queen of Hearts (played by Maley Recker), White Rabbit (Guy Paul), Cheshire Cat (Cabrie Baker), March Hare (Natalee Hough) and Mad Hatter (Ella Littler).

While many of those names are veterans of the stage, the show will be the first theatre experience for both Baker and Paul.

“I think he’s doing a phenomenal job, being new to this,” said McGraw, who has a long list of theatre credits both for school and Jay County Civic Theatre shows, of Paul. “He's definitely improved a lot … He’s gotten more confident … I’ve seen growth. I've seen growth in everyone.”

Paul said he’s always thought about getting involved in theatre. This year, the junior found the time to fit it into his schedule.

He’s been happy with the experience, especially working with his fellow cast members.

“They’re good people to be around,” said Paul. “They’re great friends … Everybody has got something that makes them unique, funny.”

“People are really a lot more supportive and helpful than I anticipated,” he added.

Theatre newcomer Guy Paul performs Tuesday during the Jay County Junior-Senior High School rehearsal for “Alice in Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole.” Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday as well as 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

 

The script by Mark Landon Smith — he wrote other plays involving classic characters, including Sherlock Holmes, Ebeneezer Scrooge and Santa Claus — is a departure from the majority of the shows the school’s drama club has produced in the last few years. Many of those have been on the more dark and dramatic side, or involved murder mysteries.

“I think that's important that we’re stepping away from the shows we've done and doing something completely different and new,” said McGraw.

And even though “Alice in Wonderland” has classic characters that are well-known to audiences, the “Down the Rabbit Hole” adaptation allows for some freedom.

“I think it’s a chance for the students to try different things,” said director Cain Bilbrey. “A lot of times we think of this show … we know all the references. I think this gives them a little bit of an exploration … to kind of play with these characters and give a little adaptation …

“It’s not as strict of a script. It’s got a little more fun with it.”

For example, Caterpillar, also played by Hough, will get more of a 1970s vibe in the Jay County production.

At the same time, Bilbrey and his performers are hopeful that performing a show with such a well-known title will help bring out audiences. Those who attend — tickets are $5 and will be available at the door — will have the opportunity to be swept away into a fantasy world that is maybe a bit more light-hearted than they might expect.

“It’s playful,” said Bilbrey, though he noted that Recker still gets to threaten to lop everyone’s head off as the Queen of Hearts. “It’s got a few little jokes as opposed to being more serious like the movie …

“We think it’s something hopefully everybody’s going to come and see and enjoy.”