Sunday, April 24, 2011

GoodBye GlassHouse Part II: LG ALICE

My time at Lookingglass opened my eyes & gave me my first taste of
The style of Chicago theatre.
Living here, I have seen a scene with a more distinct flavor
than I saw in Philadelphia, New York City, & Boston.
One dominant strand being the influence of physical theatre,
which was very present in Lookingglass Alice.
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This is the reinterpreted classic story that has
turned into a classic icon of Chicago theatre.
It tells the story of Alice falling into the Rabbit's Hole &
Her adolescent return to Wonderland.
Each square on the chessboard is a challenge she must conquer
to attain her ultimate goal:
To become A Queen.
While each square brings her closer to her goal,
it also enlightens her to the costs, trials, & losses
that result from shifting from
A Little Girl to A Queen.



This production was like a classic recipe reworked.
Adding this fresh physicality to an aged story was
like adding peanut butter to the chocolate chip cookies.
And after the random new ingredient is introduced,
it is difficult to imagine the recipe without it.


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I was excited to see Lauren Hirte in the role of Alice.
I love an actress who commits to a part,
from the dream of the workshop to its' blow-up success.
Like Lea Michelle w/ Spring Awakening, Lea Salonga w/
Miss SaigonStephanie J. Block w/ Wicked 
(who got dropped right before it went to Broadway
because Idina Menzel had a Tony to her name, but that's its own thing).
It just gives their performance a richness
when an actress has marinated in it so long.

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2 comments:

  1. I always love any new interpretation of Lewis Carroll's fabulous tale (except for the recent movie)...thanks for sharing this one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you! i haven't see the recent movie yet...

    ReplyDelete

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