Celica Cook, Student Writer
Messiah College Department of Theatre and Dance led the audience down a rabbit hole in Saturday’s performance of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
In this stage adaptation of the classic story by Lewis Carroll, director Annie Sorge brings the tale to life scene by scene in Messiah College’s Miller Theater.
The story follows Alice, played by Kelley Hertzler, and the strange, dreamlike adventure she takes in a place called, Wonderland. Hertzler plays Alice wonderfully, with all the energy and curiosity of the young girl she portrays. As a senior musical theater major with some major roles behind her already, this was a great way to close out her performing years on campus.
The set is impressive. No detail was lost on a single inch of the stage. Bright blues, and pinks stand out against the black and white checkered floors. The elaborate details of the costumes added to the cheery energy of the show.
Member of the cast, Rachel Rochet (Daisy/Sea Creature), explained the significance of the detail behind each costume.
“The costumer took the idea of the checkered pattern and incorporated it in some way into every person’s costume” said Rochet.
For some characters, like the Mad Hatter, it could be as small as one checkered sock, or maybe a more obvious spot, like the black and white checkered shoes on The White Rabbit.
“Everyone had something that connected them to the idea of a chessboard” said Rochet.
The show begins with Alice posing for a portrait painting in her girlish, impatient way. The show ends much the same, with Alice posed in front of the painting, only then with a whole new perspective to what lies beyond the canvas.
Alice is the only character in the entire show who is on stage the whole time. As Alice’s journey unfolds one mad hatter and talking flower a time, the audience is able to follow her every move as if they are seeing what she’s seeing, hearing what she’s hearing, feeling what she’s feeling.
This show is a refreshing take on a childhood classic that everyone knows and loves.
Messiah College Theater Department ends the semester with a bang in this excellent performance.
The show will continue this weekend, April 11-14 with showings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Their last performance will be on Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at messiah.edu/tickets, at the ticket office or at the door.