Review: Synetic Theater Takes Alice, and Us, to Wonderland

One thing is certain, when the lights go down in the Synetic Theater space, they will not come up on the expected; the imaginative company's signature is their unique and creative approach to storytelling on stage. They are known for their physicality and elaborate staging (you might have already experienced one of their silent productions; such as The Tempest in 2013), and ALICE IN WONDERLAND is classic Synetic. Lewis Carroll's well-known work, as adapted here by Lloyd Rose, is one of those tales that lends itself to as many interpretations as there are people who read/hear/see it, and is thus fertile ground for the stage.

By far, the strength in this production is its sensory impact; the visual and auditory playground the company has devised makes this one of the few Alice productions during which I felt as if I was actually in Wonderland with Alice herself. The Synetic stage is low, bringing the action closer to the audience, and the music and sound design from Constantine Lortkipanidze and Thomas Sowers is haunting and ethereal, while Collin Bills' lighting subtly directs our attention amidst the twists and turns, so that we are often getting the perspective of multiple characters simultaneously.

The show's director, Paata Tsikurishvili (also Synetic Artistic Director and founder) notes in his program remarks that this opportunity to interpret the material, rather than a childhood attachment to Carroll's work, is what made Alice such a good fit for the company. This is particularly evident in the extended dance sequences in the show, including a pas de deux between the Dodo and the Lobster. Special mention goes to the intricate and exuberant dance between Alice and the multi-actored Caterpillar.

Embracing the nonsense while emphasizing the profound, this production takes us with Alice in her dream; a dream prompted by Alice's cruel new governess locking away her beloved dolls, each of which has been cleverly designed to foreshadow a character we will soon meet. The dolls are on view as we enter the theater, posed in a tableaux stage right, signaling the audience that this telling of Alice might be just a little different. As Alice dejectedly falls asleep, the trunk in which the dolls have been stored, stage left, begins to glow and so the journey begins.

Alice, played with giddy abandon by Kathy Gordon, is clearly dreaming in this story; dreaming in that way where you find it almost impossible to describe the dream to someone else upon waking, because it is so disjointed and transcendent of time and space. The dialogue is minimal, but includes some familiar lines from Alice and the Wonderland denizens, as Alice progresses from bewilderment to curiosity to indignation to resolve in her ultimate battle with the Queen.

Alex Mills as the Cheshire Cat, and Tori Bertocci as the White Rabbit make well-matched playmates for Gordon's Alice as they traverse the stage in quite literal "leaps and bounds." All are talented movement performers with a balanced exaggeration of expression and the ability to never lose their sense of the audience, or each other.

But I daresay that it's the "British Punk" interpretations of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, perfectly swaggered through by Augustin Bell and Thomas Beheler, who come close to stealing the show. Pierced, tattooed, with red mohawks and the attitude to match, they bring a refreshing change to these characters, often portrayed as pitiable and moronic.The Tweedles got well-deserved cheers at final bows, and stole the heart of my teenaged show companion.Their costumes, and all of the costumes by Kendra Rai, are quite elaborate and, without giving away too much, often cleverly designed to figure prominently in the stage action. This ALICE IN WONDERLAND takes full advantage of the whimsical, and often dark, characters and places Alice finds in Wonderland, as she explores the vagaries of being human, and the wisdom in embracing the crazy to find some sanity.

For more information and tickets, go to http://www.synetictheater.org/event_pages/alice-in-wonderland/ Take note of the Special Events associated with this production, including a performance that will be interpreted in American Sign Language (October 17 '15).

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Runtime of approximately 100 minutes with no intermission

Photos courtesy of synetictheater.org

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