Last weekend, Plague Mask Players (PMP) opened Alice: A Variation on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland at the Wyly Studio Theater. The play is part of the Elevator Project series which gives space to smaller companies that often produce innovative productions. PMP brought this newer version of the classic tale to life in dreamy white with mixed results.
Ara Vito’s play brings some modernism to the language and humor but really, Vito’s version felt like a concise telling of the story. Vito brings to life the colorful imagery through smart and descriptive dialogue without any extra fluff. This factored into the show’s one act, 80-90 minute run time.
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In that time, director Samantha Calatozzo Cobb crafted an ethereal show that floated over any stage gravity. The predominantly white costuming by Cobb and Savannah Lloyd and Paige Triplett’s set was a fascinating choice that evoked a soothing palette with some punches of color. In a quiet contrast, props designer Adryana Medina fashioned everything out of black wire resulting in a cool and clever touch.
The cast was entirely female and nonbinary actors and each brought a distinct perspective to their multiple characters save for Natalie Haruka Ewe and Marilyn Setu who played Alice and Lewis respectively. With the number of characters in the story, the remaining cast took on a number of magical characters.
Bayley Owen delivered a stoic and towering portrayal while C.J. Olsen’s physical comedy was sharp and effective. Isabelle Culpepper seemed to glide through the stage with remarkable poise and Henri Sudy delivered a touching performance over three characters with a broad range of humor, tension and whimsy. Jaclyn Thomas was a menacing but vibrant Queen and Jabberwocky.
As Lewis, Setu was understated in her delivery which agreed with the show’s vibe with injections of strong wit. As Alice, Ewe gave a luminous performance that was layered with childlike naivete and a broken spirit that bloomed into an empowered character.
Much of the show felt quite magical. There were challenges in watching the show. Even with its short run time, the play had a languid pace that distracted from the onstage action. The ambient noise with a mix of music and sound effects would seem a good idea, but the perpetual drone often belied the story’s vibrancy. The layered sound did add a lushness to the show in its surround sound way.
This Alice was certainly like no other version of Wonderland I’d seen before. The absence of color and its use of sound felt more like a meditation on all of its allegories. This isn’t necessarily an “Alice for grown-ups,” but Vito’s take on the familiar did remind of the power and stretch of the imagination as evidenced in PMP’s interpretation.
The show runs through Sunday.