A dizzyingly dynamic version of the Lewis Carroll classics, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, will be at the McCarter Theatre this month, from January 9 through January 28.
Lookingglass Alice is an acrobatic staging of the stories that inspired the founding and the name of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company.
In this adaptation by David Catlin, Alice doesn’t just pass through the looking glass, she floats and she flies, exploring the bounds of logic, space, and time.
Played by Lauren Hirte — in her McCarter Theatre debut — Alice navigates a chessboard of curious characters: a juggling Mad Hatter, acrobatic hedgehogs, a unicycle-riding White Knight, and a host of others who appear from above, below, and everywhere in between.
It’s a family show that has been described as “muscular,” “percussive” and “playful,” combining witty word play with gravity-defying stunts that tap into the circus backgrounds of several of the company’s performers.
Circus Siblings
Siblings Silvia Hernandez and Tony Hernandez were born and raised under the big top. Although the family home was in Florida, they worked in circuses all over the States and Canada before joining Ringling Brothers as part of an eight-person group of acrobats that included various family members: brothers, wives, and parents.
Mr. Hernandez, who plays the Red Queen and other characters, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records — along with the Wallenda family — for a 2001 balancing feat comprising an 8-person pyramid on a highwire in Kurashiki, Japan.
“The acrobatics give Alice another dimension, the production is very physical, with stylized movements that move the story along. It’s nothing like a regular circus though, but very theatrical,” commented Ms. Hernandez, the group’s choreographer.
Ms. Hernandez started performing in circuses at the age of 7 and last toured in 1990. Since 1992, she’s worked on eight Lookingglass productions, winning Joseph Jefferson Awards for three of them, including Lookingglass Alice.
Besides her brother, Ms. Hernandez works alongside her husband Larry DiStasi who helped create the company and who, like many ensemble players, also juggles several roles: the White Knight, the White Queen, and Dodgson (Lewis Carroll was the pen-name of the English author, mathematician and photographer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, 1832-1898).
“It’s a real treat to be able to bring the show to people around the country and to work with family and friends in this close-knit group,” said Ms. Hernandez, “Sometimes it feels as though I’m still in the circus.”
Also a veteran circus performer, having worked from age 15, on and off stage with an amateur circus group in Florida, Scott Osgood is the company’s acrobatic equipment and rigging designer. His own flying trapeze and comedy aerial act earned him an earlier career with the likes of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey, Disneyland, and Cirque du Soleil, for which he will design a production set for 2008.
Design Challenges
Lookingglass Alice was mounted in Chicago in the spring of 2005. The entire cast has come to McCarter Theatre where they have met with some particular staging challenges.
“The original was designed for an alley formation with the audience seated on both sides rather than for a proscenium such as the McCarter,” said Ms. Hernandez.
“We will adapt the stage somewhat at McCarter,” she said, “extending it out into the front of the house and adding seats to the front of the stage.”
Audience members will have the opportunity to sit on stage up close to all of the performance action. Front row seats have been removed to make way for a larger stage, and the entire auditorium will be transformed into a sort of a Cirque du Soleil performance space — acrobatics sans safety net.
“My favorite part is the finale when we juggle Alice, but I won’t go into details to spoil the surprise,” she said.
Lookingglass Theatre
Lookingglass Theatre Company is a multi-disciplined ensemble that creates original story-centered works. The company’s aesthetic is notably physical and highly visual. Now entering its 19th season, it will take this production from Princeton to New York’s New Victory Theater before traveling to Philadelphia and then returning to Chicago for the summer. The company’s home is in the landmark Water Tower Water Works, which it renovated with the help of the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.
Members of the cast each play several roles. The Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, and the March Hare will all be realized by Anthony Fleming III.
Lambertville resident Doug Hara, will play the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and Humpty Dumpty. A veteran of 14 Lookingglass productions since he joined the company in 1992, Mr. Hara was most recently seen playing the title role in Arden Theatre Company’s production of A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Costume designer Mara Blumenfeld and scenic designer Daniel Ostling are returning to McCarter, where they both previously worked on Mary Zimmerman’s productions of The Secret in the Wings and The Odyssey (Ms. Zimmerman will direct a new production of the opera Lucia di Lammermoor for the Metropolitan Opera in the fall).
Ticket prices for adults range from $28 to $48, with child tickets for $15. To charge tickets by phone, call the McCarter Theatre Box Office at (609) 258-ARTS (2787) or order online at www.mccarter.org. McCarter Theatre Center is wheelchair accessible and is fully equipped with a hearing enhancement system.
McCarter Live Tonight
The Princeton Public Library hosts Lookingglass Theatre Director David Catlin in conversation with Kemati Porter, McCarter’s producing associate in McCarter Live at the Library, tonight, January 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room.
The conversation will focus on the unusual design and the collaborative process involved in adapting Lewis Carroll’s works. The event is free and will take place in the Community Room. For more information on library programs and services, call (609) 924-9529, or visit www.princetonlibrary.org.