Alice`s Adventures in Wonderland was first conceived on an

Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland was first
conceived on an
afternoon boat ride
up the River Thames.
Lewis Carroll (whose
name was actually
Reverend C. L.
Dodgson) and his
friend Reverend
Robinson Duckworth
were entertaining the Liddle sisters- Lorina,
Edith, and Carroll's favorite, Alice. They
begged for a fantastical story with
"nonsense in it!" and thus was born a
worrisome rabbit, a terrible Queen, and a
host of wacky creatures. All of the boat's
passengers appear in the novel as a Duck
(Duckworth), a Dodo (Carroll himself), a
Lory (Lorina), an Eaglet (Edith) and Alice!
"All in the Golden Afternoon"
-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
Lewis Carroll
"Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:
Thus slowly one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out And now the tale is done.
And home we steer, a merry crew.
Beneath the setting sun.
Alice! A childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood dreams are twined
In Memory's mystic band,
Like pilgrim's withered wreath of flowers
Pluck'd in a far-off land."
Open the door and come in to the curious world of ALICE (in
wonderland). This production for Milwaukee Ballet was
choreographed by The Washington Ballet's Septime Webre in
2012 and is based on the world renowned children's novels, Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis
Carroll. An instant classic since its publication in 1865 - so much
has been made of this story first told to the real Alice on a boat
ride on July 4, 1862. From Disney's animated movie to Jefferson
Airplane's famous song "White Rabbit" performed at Woodstock,
the characters, and the playful words they spew, have inspired
artists, musicians, writers, philosophers, gamers, actors and
dancers the world over. Once adults got their hands on it, the
analysis began with many a theory and thesis paper pondering
the real meaning - psychological or political? Hallucinatory or
merely inventive folly? The ballet will delight and excite you with
its grandeur and dizzying display of ballet and design. Like the
novels themselves, you never know how you'll get where it is
you're going or who you will meet along the way. It gets
curiouser and curiouser indeed, so jump down the
rabbit hole and hang on to your teacup - ALICE will fill
your head with fun!
Annia Hidalgo. Rachel Malehorn. Photos: Tom Davenport.
ALICE (in wonderland) Synopsis
"For, you see, so
many out-of-the-way
things had happened
lately that Alice had
begun to think that
very few things
indeed were really
impossible."
Prologue
The Story of ALICE (in wonderland)
The ballet opens in Alice's family's home. One day, while Alice is in a daydream and her family is busy with
housework, their family friend Lewis Carroll comes over to visit. Alice likes spending time with Lewis Carroll
because he is a wonderful storyteller. Alice and Lewis Carroll leave the house to enjoy a picnic outside.
Act I
Alice asks Lewis to tell her a story. He begins to tell her of a young girl who goes on an adventure in Wonderland.
Alice becomes lost in her imagination and begins to fall asleep. As Alice drifts off to sleep, she sees a White Rabbit
hop by. He checks his pocket watch, and leaps into a rabbit hole. Alice becomes very curious about the White
Rabbit. She follows him into the hole and falls, for what seems like miles. When she finally lands at the bottom of
the hole, Alice is frightened and begins to cry. Alice cries so much that her tears turn into a large pool. Many
strange characters fill the pool, including the Dormouse. The characters decide to become dry from the pool of
tears by running in a race. At the end of the race, the characters leave Alice alone once again.
Alice remains curious as to where the White Rabbit is, and decides to try to find him. On her way, Alice meets the
Cheshire Cat. The Cheshire Cat is very mysterious and can disappear and reappear in an instant. Confused by the
Cheshire Cat, Alice continues on her journey only to run into the next character, the Caterpillar. Alice is curious
about the Caterpillar and decides to stay and talk with him. While talking, the Caterpillar 'metamorphoses' into a
butterfly right in front of Alice. Alice is interested in all the characters she is meeting, but continues on her
adventure.
On her way, she meets the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse. The Mad Hatter invites Alice to have a
tea party with them and Alice accepts the invitation. The tea party is unlike any other tea party Alice has ever been
to.
"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad... You must be," said
the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
The Washington Ballet ALICE (in wonderland) Maki Onuki photo by media4artists | Theo Kossenas
ALICE (in wonderland) Synopsis
Act II
After the tea party, Alice finds herself in the Queen of Hearts' garden where the card gardeners are painting the
white roses they planted red. The Queen of Hearts invites Alice to play a game with her: croquet. The Queen's
version of croquet is to use flamingos as the mallets and to use hedgehogs as the balls. The Queen becomes
furious when she loses the match against Alice and blames the hedgehogs by saying "off with their heads!" Alice
does not want anything to happen to the hedgehogs and helps protect them from the Queen.
Alice runs into the forest away from the Queen of Hearts and meets Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Alice dances
with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and journeys along with them to find her friends she has made along the way,
including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit. However, the Queen of Hearts is still very angry
about losing to Alice and sets her Jabberwock, a dragon, out to find the group of friends. Alice is not afraid, and
bravely slays the Queen's Jabberwock.
The Queen finds Alice and puts her on trial for slaying her Jabberwock. People in the courtroom are all confused as
the Queen shouts "off with her head." Alice realized the silliness of the situation and the scene begins to fall, like a
house of cards. Alice awakens from here dream and looks around to find that she is safe in her own home.
"'It was a curious dream, dear, certainly; but now run in to your
tea: it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while
she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been."
The Book and the Ballet
Like other Victorian writers of Lewis Carroll's time, the Reverend
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (his real name) was not just a writer.
Always interested in games, magic, and words, Dodgson went to
school and studied math and writing. He was a professor at Christ
Church College in Oxford around the time he wrote Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland - originally just an illustrated story for
Alice Liddell herself. He was ordained Anglican deacon, an amateur
photographer and published in many other fields besides
children's literature. He was constantly inventing games and useful
objects including something called a nyctograph (a writing tablet
that allowed note-taking in the dark) a postal money order form
that utilized the concept of instant paper copies so that both
sender and vendors had copies of orders made and sent and the
first version of the board game Scrabble! He is most well-known
for the Alice books and the Jabberwocky poem (found in Through
the Looking Glass). Along with the Bible and works by Shakespeare,
his books are the most widely quoted in the Western World.
The Washington Ballet ALICE (in wonderland) Andile Ndlovu. Jared Nelson. photos by media4artists | Theo Kossenas
The original illustrations by John Tenniel were adapted from
Tenniel's drawing for Punch magazine where he was a
cartoonist. Alice was inspired by a real girl named Mary.
Lewis Carroll is said to have thought that her head was too
big and her feet were too small - rather fitting for the story
however!
John Tenniel's illustration of the Mad Hatter shows his hat
with a slip of paper that says "In this style 10/6" - he's a
hatter, and the hat is for sale thus it means this hat, in this
style, 10 shillings and 6 pence. By today's retail price index
that translates to £37.50 or $54.52.
"'Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, 'if it was
so, it might be: and if it were so, it would be; but
as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'"
Septime Webre found himself reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on a beach in
Hawaii and started visualizing the work told through ballet. It has been compared to a
psychedelic rock concert, his Alice an "adrenaline junkie" and called "glam", "trippy",
"a giddy parade, a pop-art dream, a feat of fevered
imagination." (Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post.) The
focus of the ballet is really on the dancing (with more than a
few nods to the classical tradition of story ballet itself
including a lovely homage to Swan Lake's four little swans) and
there's a lot of it! Like the books, the story leaps from one
crazy group of creatures to the next. The sets are minimal but
big and bold. "That's one of the interesting evolutions of the
ballet world," Webre says. "19th century scenic
design...assumed the audience needed every piece of
information. In fact, audiences are really smart. They don't
need a lot of information. It's more exciting for them to be
involved."
Matthew Pierce's string and percussion ensemble piece was
commissioned specifically for the ballet. "Mr. Pierce, although
classically trained, combines influences of rock, blues, pop and
even Arabic music into his score. The Cheshire Cat has a
bluesy sound while the Queen of Hearts has a techno pop"
feel to it (The Washington Ballet.) Watch the Caterpillar and
you might get a hint of the Arabian scene from The Nutcracker
(turned on its head of course!) both musically and visually;
groove along with the Cheshire Cat in a clear nod to CATS the
musical. There is much of a muchness and whimsy in his
music!
The Washington Ballet ALICE (in wonderland) Maki Onuki and Corey Landolt and Daniel Roberge. photo by media4artists | Theo Kossenas
Artists of Colorado Ballet. Photo: Mike Watson.
From Cirque de Soleil to
the Circus of Wonderland
"The idea was period silhouettes filtered through a high-fashion lens with
a bit of outrageous circus to boot." Septime Webre
A fashion designer since 1988, Liz Vandal cites futuristic superheroes and
medieval armor as her inspiration. She has designed for the Montréal dance
company La La La Humans Steps, la Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Les Grand Ballet
Canadiens de Montréal and The Washington Ballet. Outside of dance she has
designed for The Backstreet Boys and
Cirque du Soleil - which caught Septime
Webre's attention. Some of his suggestions
included the meeting of Mick Jagger and David
Bowie circa 1982 for the Frog and the Fish
Footmen- Vandal gave him David Bowie and
Elton John. He imagined Starsky and Hutch for "the Tweedles" as they're
called. Though it is hard to imagine the 1970s cops in highwater yellow pants,
it's a fun image to conjure. "All of the fabrics for the 120 costumes were
actually white and everything is printed... Fabric technology is at the forefront
of theatrical design. This designer does costumes for Broadway... but she also
laser prints fabric to cover giant Boeing jets for the Army in camouflage, so it's
a really amazing technology," explains Septime Webre. While you might not be
able to see it from the audience - the Mad Hatter's jacket is lined with the
words "Mad Hatter", the Doors have doors on them, the Roses start out white
and turn red through a fun headpiece, the Queen and the Caterpillar could be
in a ballet or a Lady Gaga video... Dress me. Wear me.
Who are YOU? The Characters of
ALICE (in wonderland)
Who are You? said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. "I - I
hardly know, Sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when
I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed
several times since then."
There are 124 adult roles in the ballet and 53 children
roles. While we have two casts of children (104 kids
total) we only have 41 adults (24 in the Company and
17 in Milwaukee Ballet II) Dizzy yet? Besides Alice
herself and the children from Milwaukee Ballet School
& Academy everyone else is playing one to eight
different roles! Some are major parts; for example,
Susan Gartell is the Caterpillar and a Card in one cast,
the Mother and the Queen in the next. Alexandre
Ferreira plays the Dodo and the Joker, Marc Petrocci
plays the Grandfather, the March Hare, the Frog and
Tweedle Dum! Some are a hodgepodge of big roles and
corps parts - Timothy O'Donnell is a Door, a Queen's
Henchman, part of the Pool of Tears, the Duchess, a
Mushroom, a Man in White, a Jack, and the
Jabberwock's right wing. Talk about a rabbit hole of
quick changes! Off with your tunic!
Septime Webre did an excellent job taking the
vignettes laid out in the book and translating them
onto the stage. He added a thought provoking
prologue in which we meet Alice's mad family and
their close friend Lewis Carroll. As the ballet goes on,
we realize that nothing is as it seems: family friend
Lewis Carroll turns into the Mad Hatter, her
"ineffectual father" as Webre calls him, becomes a
pushover King, a bossy mom becomes a tyrannical
Queen, the Butler hops into the role of the White
Rabbit, the Grandfather to the March Hare and the
Grandmother into the Dormouse (a rodent that looks
more like a squirrel than a mouse and whose name
derives from the Latin dormire, to sleep). Webre
pulled a bit from Through the Looking Glass so that we
could meet Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and the
Jabberwock. Interestingly enough - Jabberwocky is
said to be the finest nonsensical poem ever written
in the English language!
The Washington Ballet ALICE (in wonderland) Corey Landolt and Daniel Roberge. Sona Kharatian. Photo by media4artists | Theo Kossenas.
ALICE (in wonderland) Casting Guide
Alice
Annia Hidalgo May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Alana Griffith May 21 @1:30 & 22
Lewis Carroll/Mad Hatter
Davit Hovhannisyan May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Alexandre Ferreira May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Mother/Queen of Hearts
Marize Fumero May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Susan Gartell May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Father/King of Hearts
Patrick Howell all performances
Butler/White Rabbit
Parker Brasser-Vos all performances.
Grandfather/ March Hare
Marc Petrocci all performances.
Photos: Timothy O'Donnell.
ALICE (in wonderland) Casting Guide
Eaglet
Luz San Miguel May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Nicole Teague May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Dodo Bird
Alexandre Ferreria May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Davit Hovhannisyan May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Cheshire Cat
Patrick Howell May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Isaac Sharratt May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Caterpillar
Susan Gartell May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Marize Fumero May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee
Marc Petrocci & Garrett Glassman all performance
Joker
Alexandre Ferreria May 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm
Davit Hovhannisyan May 21 @ 1:30pm & 22
Photos: Timothy O'Donnell.
One Pill Makes you Larger...
Alice in Wonderland in Pop Culture
Alice's influence began in
151 years ago when the
book came out with little
shops in England selling
Alice teacups and little
girls wearing "Alice
bands" in their hair. From
Walt Disney to The
Beatles, the book is rich
with material for tattoos,
fan art and fine art (Salvador Dali was inspired by it), video games, and inspired
films and spin-offs (it is said The Matrix, Labyrinth and Spirited Away all give
more than a nod to Lewis Carroll.)
"Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head! Feed your head!"
"White Rabbit", Jefferson Airplane
In addition to a star-studded film made in 1933 (Cary Grant as the Mock
Turtle!) Walt Disney's famous cartoon in 1951, Tim Burton's Alice in
Wonderland (2010) and the brand new Alice Through the Looking Glass,
there's a creepy Czech version called Nĕco z Alenky which means
"Something from Alice" in which the caterpillar is played by a stopmotion sock with glass eyes and a set of false teeth!
There are music videos with an Alice theme by Tom Petty and
the Heartbreakers, Gwen Stefani and Aerosmith and it is said
that "I am the Walrus" by The Beatles was indeed inspired by
the "Walrus and the Carpenter" (recited to Alice by
Tweedledee and Tweedledum). The lyrics are surely silly
enough for Lewis Carroll's approval, could he give it.
Shel Silverstein penned a great poem called "Alice" that sums her up nicely:
She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
And she grew so tall,
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME
And she shrank so small.
And so she changed, while other folks
Never tried nothin' at all.
And finally - some life advice from the Cheshire Cat
"'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from
here?' 'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,'
said the Cat. 'I don't much care where-' said Alice. 'Then it
doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat."