By Emma Stanton, Vermont Standard Staff Writer
On the weekend of Dec. 12, the Woodstock Union High School Yoh Theatre stage will open on a war-torn London street, enveloped in the rubble of the London Blitzes of World War II. In the midst of this chaos and destruction will sit Alice Spencer — a budding teen whose life is turned upside-down as she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground train station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into a cherished book. The audience, too, will have a chance to be transported down the rabbit hole to Wonderland, as the Alice and Alfred embark on this magical journey.
A retelling of the Lewis Caroll tale, “Alice by Heart,” the musical explores the poignancy of first love, the pain of coming to terms with loss, and the strength of finding courage amidst the bleakest circumstances. The story, written by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson, with music by Duncan Sheik, encourages us all to celebrate the transformational power of the imagination, even during the most difficult times.
The Standard spoke with the cast and crew, who shared insight into what it was like to tackle such a story and how they each brought their character to life in their own way.
White Rabbit, played by Sam Hauze, sitting with Alice, played by Tula Klock. Marcia Bender Photos
Tula Klock, WUHS senior, who will portray the leading role of Alice, told the Standard, “I have always loved the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ story, and I wanted to capture Alice’s antics and reactions to the characters in Wonderland. I have formed my rendition of Alice by combining her personality from the original story with small parts of my own personality. The largest difference in her character from the book to the musical is the fact that, rather than the story happening to her, she is in charge of where the story goes.”
Klock continued, “I think this show has a very strong message of acceptance and enjoying time while you have it. I hope that the audience can see how powerful that message is and apply it to their own lives, whether it’s living in the moment more or spending time with a loved one. For me, this show currently reflects my life as I am going away to college soon. The theme of wanting more time with my friends and loved ones is hitting very hard. I hope the audience loves this show as much as I do.”
Junior Yoh Player Tegan Miller added, “This show does a brilliant job of preserving the nostalgia and whimsy of the original ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ while also providing a deeper message about time, death, and growing up. For me and my character (The Caterpillar/Angus), this means keeping the dramatic whimsy of this creature’s movements while adding a slight darkness to his tone as he interacts with Alice. He represents maturing, and I try to portray that in the things he pressures Alice to do.”
Yoh Theatre director Marcia Bender told the Standard, “I was introduced to this musical by a few of the students. When I began investigating the text, I realized it was the perfect story for this season of Yoh.” In a year infiltrated by tumult and grief, Bender has turned to the power of storytelling to carry the Yoh Players through trying times. From “Elektra” to “Alice by Heart” to “Treasure Island” and “Pride and Prejudice” — two productions happening later this season — Bender says she has dedicated her theater to comforting familiar words told in new and awe-inspiring ways.
“This season seems to be about stories and how stories can carry us away from difficult realities. These stories show us different sides of humanity. They can lighten us and uplift us. ‘Alice by Heart’ is obviously a retelling of ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ There is a comfort in following a character we all grew up with. She is an emblem of wonderment and curiosity and hope, and I think we all need that in our lives, whether we are fifteen or fifty-five,” Bender added.
Bringing Wonderland to life has become a joyous challenge for the Yoh Players. “Wonderland first began in Bridgewater, actually,” Bender said. “I drove by an antique shop and saw a spiral staircase connected to a deck. Brian Blanchard, the owner, let me borrow it for our production, and that’s where Wonderland was born. We play with fabric, costume, parachutes, bubbles, and the power of music (along with a couple different tricks up our sleeve) to utterly transport the audience into a magical, surreal dreamscape.”
Miller, who helped choreograph this production, added to this, saying, “Choreographing this show has been an absolute delight. The songs I choreograph are very dreamlike, almost psychedelic pop. Because of this, there is no limit to how crazy the choreography could go; the possibilities are truly endless. I like using players onstage to create a tableau or to make one creature out of multiple people, and this show really lends itself to that kind of style.”
The magic of Wonderland is placed in stark contrast to the war-torn London that the curtain opened to. Bender explained how her set design team worked to create this stark contrast, saying, “It’s very bare. We use dark gray and black. The set is very minimal. We wanted to start with something bleak, and slowly, as the story progresses, as the feeling of hope grows, color and light and laughter and play spring onto the stage.”
“This is a story ultimately about grief and coping with loss,” Bender said. “We are so thankful to have developed a relationship with our residents, with our audience, where we can comfortably explore and perform these stories. We can highlight hardship and struggle and grief and love and devastation, because we have an audience in our theater who will be receptive and appreciative of this work. This is a very special story, told at a very important time, and I cannot wait for the friends and families of the Upper Valley to experience it.”
Performances of “Alice by Heart” will take place Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec.14, at the Yoh Theatre at the Woodstock Union High School and Middle School. Tickets and more information can be found at yohtheatre.com.