By Maxwell Roberson of Madison High School
What is the common logic behind all unexplainable things? Well, nobody really knows, but they’ve been trying to figure it out in Langley High School’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
“Alice in Wonderland” has been through many adaptations and many stages since its inception in the 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll. While a lot has changed in these past 150 years, one thing has remained constant: the story is nothing short of absurd. It all begins when a 9-year-old girl, Alice, chases a white rabbit into the woods and gets transported to Wonderland, and if Alice plans on making it back home in time for her birthday party, she’ll have to go through the wildest of what imagination has to offer. Whether that be precariously placed egg people, spice-crazed cooks, or murder-happy monarchs, it soon begins to set in that missing her birthday may not be Alice’s biggest concern.
The largest triumph of Langley High School’s production was their commitment to the absurd nature of this classic story. For a large majority of the performance, it was performed as a variety show of impossibilities, all grounded by the fish-out-of-water Alice. Performed by Ava Carter, Alice kept true to her character as a whimsical, and often irrational, 9-year-old girl in the Victorian era, and assisted by Lily Tani’s comically sarcastic Cheshire Cat, it was hard to take your eyes off the stage. Essential, also, were the inventive set pieces and props strewn across the specially designed rotating stage, capturing the dizzying feeling of the adventure.
Much of this insanity can be attributed to the talented 35-person cast. With memorable characters such as the wit-filled and snappy Caterpillar (Wesley Smith), the positively insane Mad Hatter (Brady Kastner), or the frantic and spontaneous Mock Turtle (Daniel Qiu), the audience never seemed to run out of comedic fodder. But while many characters were certainly entertaining, Scarlett Spano’s Queen of Hearts stood out as completely unforgettable. Commanding the stage both literally and figuratively, the Queen of Hearts filled the auditorium with her crazed and reckless demands of beheading, serving as a formidable and fitting antagonist for Alice.
The aforementioned set design, by Killian Korchnak and Sreeja Vemuri, was also a high point of this production, with psychedelic backgrounds and set pieces that dwarfed many of the actors. The costumes also stood out, with detail-oriented pieces designed by Leo Rose, on nearly every character. And while often overlooked in many productions, the marketing for this show was exceptional, combining modern social media approaches with exceptionally designed posters, all led by Aryana Molaiy.
Even though Lewis Carroll’s original novel is coming up on its 159th birthday, shows like these keep the story fresh and engaging, ensuring its survival for years to come. Langley High School’s Alice In Wonderland proves that some things don’t need to be logical to be lovable.
