Alice in Wonderland is a tale that people either love or hate. Though I have always had a constant battle with whether or not I love this tale. So to take a breather from analyzing this tale and the philosophy behind these characters…I decided to go see Wonderland on Broadway, a new musical about a new Alice.
Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik
This tale tells the story of a woman in present day Queens, NY on the verge of a separation and struggling to raise her daughter as her recent novel draft has been rejected. Instead of Alice the daughter, following the Rabbit…Alice, the mother is taken on quite an adventure. Alice was played by Janet Dacal (In the Heights) who makes a great lead and seems to already be very comfortable with this role. She works well with the material at hand, which could have honestly been much better.
Though the comedic elements are solid, the dramatic elements are harder to find. The musical was full of Disney references, a Wicked reference, political jokes, NY jokes, a boy band number or two, and more. But the flow of the drama and the mystery seemed pushed and not as fleshed out as I had expected it to be. This musical is more of an adventure than it is a musical with heart. Wonderland is not nearly as dark and complex as the original tale but has the potential to be if this were re-worked.
Carly Rose Soneclar who plays, Chloe, the daughter of Alice is brilliant! It’s unfortunate we don’t get to see more of her throughout the show. The same can be said for Karen Mason, who won me over in Act 2 as the Queen of Hearts. These two alone make this show worth seeing for those gong into this show blind. I did not go into the show completely in the dark. Having seen Kate Shindle in Legally Blonde the Musical and enjoyed her so much, one of the main reasons why I was so determined to see Wonderland on Broadway was to see her as The Mad Hatter. So you can imagine my disappointment when I noticed the insert in the playbill which read, “At this performance the role of The Mad Hatter will be played by Heather Parcells.”
My excitement sank quicker than the fall Alice takes in the elevator during the show. What a let down. Parcells has a good voice but strained to reach the notes far too much while keeping up with the fast pace choreography. The male members of the cast were fantastic! They were without a doubt more colorful, captivating, and on key than Parcells. Even the few of the ensemble males dressed as women were more exciting to watch.
The music, by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics, by Jack Murphy were contemporary, reached a broad range of genres, and very catchy. Almost everyone around me found themselves humming “Through the Looking Glass,” the number before intermission as well as the finale number. “Through the Looking Glass” is a fantastic song, almost better than the last number. Five people sing the song but it sounds so grand and is pleasing to the ears!
Production wise, the sound went out for a handful of brief moments throughout the musical and since it’s only been a few weeks since its opening, you can tell when the actors are looking at their marks. There were also two or three numbers where the orchestra almost drowned out the vocalists. Once the summer hits, surely these issues will be long resolved. Another important mention…special effects overtake this musical. The animated curtain that you stare at while you wait for the show to begin turns out to play a very big part in the show.
Instead of an abundant amount of extravagant props and sets, audience members are given projections to enhance their imagination for what was not able to translate to the stage. Though the costumes are spectacular and should be put on showcase whenever the Broadway show does come to an end. But in the end, not enough stands out for Wonderland to be must see. If you love the tale of Alice in Wonderland and are open to seeing a new Alice in a new adventure that is not as dark on Broadway, you’ll probably enjoy it. Otherwise, give this a good thought before heading out to buy tickets.
Wonderland runs at the Marquis Theater for 2 hours and 10 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
Get your tickets to Wonderland on Broadway today.