An alternative world comes alive in the Cast and Crew Youth Theatre Society’s production of Wonderland, The Musical Misadventures of a Girl Named Alice.
The musical is based on the 1871 novel by Lewis Carroll and is the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
It includes the famous characters like Humpty Dumpty, the Red Queen and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
But in this adaptation by James Devita, there will also be a baseball team, a gospel group called The Responsibilities, a train conductor, star-struck tourists and plastic light-saber wielding knights.
Director Angela Tischer describes the production as a fun musical version with Carroll’s story being told in a new and creative way.
“The musical numbers aren’t just typical generic musical theatre. It’s different genres of music. There is country music at one point, there’s hip hop, it’s really fun,” explained Tischer, adding that along with co-director Riley Dougan, they had a lot of fun finding ways to make the production fun for the children.
There will be 25 musical numbers in the production.
“There’s country song with Humpty Dumpty that you wouldn’t expect and there’s a hip hop number for the Red Queen, which is one of the main roles. There’s a bit of rapping in it, as well,” said Tischer.
Also added, artistic lighting cues to add to the effect of the scenes like strobe lighting during Alice’s transition from the real world to Wonderland.
The theatre group was formed in 2015 and ranges in age from students in grades 3 to 10. The mission of the group is to promote youth theatre in Maple Ridge and Mission by training youth in all areas of the theatre.
“The kids get a chance to be hands on and all have an equal opportunity in learning about theatre,” explained Tischer.
“It’s not really theatre class, per say, but more so like all around theatre, where we are teaching the kids the production side as well, not just the acting side,” she continued.
In addition to acting, dancing and vocal classes, students learn how to create costumes, props, sets, how to do hair and makeup, how to operate the sound and lights along with promotional front-of-house work.
• Wonderland runs April 21 to 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the North Fraser Centre, 9975 – 272nd Street in Whonnock. There will be one matinee at 2 p.m. on April 23.
Tickets are $12 each and are available for purchase online through Eventbrite or at the door 30 minutes before show time.
