Review: STAGES St. Louis' Terrific Production of DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Every year you can count on STAGES St. Louis to produce a wonderful season of musicals, and you can always be sure there will be something for the younger set in the schedule as well. And,they make sure that the same care and professionalism goes into the production of each and every show, no matter who it's aimed at. The Westport Playhouse has also proved to be a good venue for these Theatre for Young Audiences presentations, and with each subsequent show here they seem to really be getting more and more comfortable with the very intimate surroundings it provides. Such is the case with their offering this year, DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a very colorful, engaging, and extremely entertaining musical that manages to pack a lot into around an hours time. It may just be the best show of this type they've ever produced, and I highly recommend it!

This is DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND, with book and lyrics adapted by David Simpatico, and music and lyric arrangements by Bryan Louiselle. Though a bit removed from Lewis Carroll's (aka Charles Dodgson) original story, the bones are still there and every bit as charming. What changes there are make it faster paced and more relevant, with some dialog and music bits specifically designed to register with kids today. But, you'll still find many of the beloved characters and moments in place.

Alexis Kinney is simply terrific as Alice, bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the role. Her brother, John Kinney is a nervous delight as the White Rabbit, and Angela Sapolis pulls triple duty as Mathilda, Lily, and the famously short-fused Queen of Hearts. Austin Glen Jacobs and Ryan Alexander Jacobs are pulling double duty as well, here giving their all playing Tweedledee and Tweedledum, while also appearing in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM as Puck. Kendra Lynn Lucas brings a healthy dose of soul to the role of the Caterpillar, and Ryan Cooper channels his inner wackiness as the Mad Hatter. Chris Tipp does nice work as the March Hare and, with a bit of puppetry, also handles the role of the King of Hearts. Kelsey Bearman (Rose), Katie Brnjac (Violet), Caroline Eiseman (Petunia), along with the aforementioned Sapolis, handle the roles of the snobby flowers Alice encounters with aplomb.

Micheal Hamilton's direction and staging are smartly conceived and executed with a number of cute and amusing touches standing out. Ellen Isom's choreography makes great use space, and so does Jim Sandefur's clever scenic design, which is both gorgeous and changeable. Garth Dunbar's costumes are vividly realized eye candy, and Lisa Campbell Albert's musical direction is both playful and tight as a drum, working extremely well with Stuart Elmore's orchestral design. Jeff Behm's lighting is also very nicely done.

STAGES St. Louis has produced yet another outstanding musical for a young audience, and one which adults will find equally enjoyable. DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND continues at The Westport Playhouse through July 3, 2016.

Photo credit: Peter Wochniak