“Curtsy while you’re thinking what to say. It saves time.”
Quoted from the revamped “Alice: Tales of a Curious Girl,” this production is based on the writings of Lewis Carroll. However, this is a slightly different tale than the classical version of “Alice in Wonderland.” The production was written by playwright Karen Hartman and directed by Chrystyna Dail. It will be held at the Studio Theatre on Penn State Erie, The Behrend College campus.
The first part of the play is set in the spring in the real world. Alice is trying to recite her studies to her mother while getting her picture taken, but she just can’t seem to focus. She then finds a hole, and being the curious little girl that she is, she follows it down to Wonderland. This wonderful new world she has found herself in is full of peculiar animals and inanimate objects that can talk, including a cat, a deck of cards, a mouse, and some birds.
In the second part of the play, we find Alice in the fall, where she is a little bit older. Back in the real world, Alice can’t seem to forget about her wonderful journey in Wonderland. While her memories of Wonderland are slowly fading away, Alice becomes distraught and tries to go back. She knows that the more the memories fade, the sooner she’ll forget completely. Alice would have to turn to her studies and focus on becoming a lady, so she soon finds herself falling into the Looking Glass World where she meets the kings and queens of the chessboard.
Throughout the play, the lighting was displayed seamlessly and created the perfect atmosphere for each new scene. Most of the sound effects during the performance were created by the students themselves. Alice was played by Kylie Swanson, and Preston Barrett, Shay Conto, Chris DeMarco, Nina Diehl, Elizabeth Fogle, Stephanie Kaelin, Cassie Kosmal, Byran Monroe, Jose Picado, Kevin Roche, Charlotte Sweetland, and Carissa Zozos all play multiple roles in the production.
“Alice: Tales of a Curious Girl” has some pretty interesting characters. Out of all of them, I liked the red queen, the white queen, and the cat the best. Reservations to see this unique play, and its equally unique characters, can be made by calling Penn State’s Office of Student Activities at 814-898-6242, and tickets cost $7 per student and $10 for general admission.
The play will also be held at 8 p.m. tonight, November 14 and a matinee show at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 15. For next week at 8 p.m., the performance dates are Tuesday, November 17, Wednesday, November 18, and Thursday, November 19, so you’ll have plenty of chances to see the show and choose your favorite character.
For more information visit http://www.behrend.psu.edu/newscal/news2009/oct-ALICE.htm.
