For my production critique, I chose Alice in Wonderland, adapted for the stage by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus, originally written by Lewis Carroll, and directed by Judith Midyett Pender. The show’s large cast featured Madi Bready as Alice, Trae Havens as the White Rabbit, Audrey Armacost as the Caterpillar, Chase Durrett as the Mad Hatter, and Riley Smith as the Queen of Hearts, to name a few. The entire ensemble sent child-friendly wonder and excitement buzzing through the Elsie C. Brackett Theatre through all 11 scenes. The show follows young Alice “into the rabbit hole” and through her loosely plotted adventures in Wonderland where she confronts the aforementioned characters and more, as a sort of lucid dream influenced by the …show more content…
She is thrown into a whimsical flowered forest, endures the slow drawl of a Mock Turtle (Micah Weese), observes a trial by the Queen and her court, and listens to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (David Schmitz and Kevin Cook, respectively) sing a tune of a carpenter and a walrus, all while trying to follow and understand the White Rabbit. The show has nearly no direct plot, and becomes difficult to follow, but is uniquely captivating despite that. It is without a doubt that Madi Bready’s Alice stole the show. Madi’s proper yet free-spirited physicality brought the character to life as a young girl in a whimsical situation. She embodied the childlike mannerisms, complete with pouting, wailing, giggles, and exaggerated physical/facial reactions to the world around her. With the premise of the show in mind, it was completely believable. The drastic vocal change was almost too forced, but when placed in an outrageous situation, worked. She was always heard, and always understood, which is the most important part. I commend her dedication to remaining engaged and in character throughout, and I believe her reactions were