Theater Review: Wonderland

Finding the Way Through the Looking Glass Proves More Difficult than You’d Think
By Lauren Yarger
In a season of musicals that have come up short, Wonderland, featuring composer Frank Wildhorn’s return to Broadway, makes it about halfway to the bullseye before failing to hit its ultimate target.

The music generally is good and the score contains a number of moving, high--belt ballads for which the composer (Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, Civil War) is known, ably performed by actors with solid vocal abilities. Where it goes off course, however, is by trying to give the story a modern twist with a weak book with weak characters by Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy (who also direct and write the lyrics, respectively).

The plot often is confused, but if you don’t know the classic Lewis Carroll story, which is rather confusing itself, you will find yourself as lost as Alice (Janet Dacal) at times, even though the predictable dialogue sounds like it is written for 5 or 6 year olds (minus a more adult political barb thrown at the Tea Party).

And maybe it is. This modern version, though, has an adult. work-weary Alice following a White Rabbit (a grossly miscast Edward Staudenmayer trying to protray a character that just doesn't work) down an elevator to a mysterious Wonderland below her New York apartment building where she has relocated with her daughter, Chloe (Carly Rose Sonneclar) following the breakup of her marriage.

There she meets a variety of odd folks, including the White Rabbit’s cousin, Morris, the March Hare (Danny Stiles), an Hispanic Cheshire Cat named El Gato (Jose Llana) who erroneously thinks he has the power to become invisible , a cool blues-singing caterpillar (E. Clayton Cornelius) and a White Knight hero named Jack (Darren Ritchie).

Ruling over the land is the Queen of Hearts (Karen Mason) who chops off the heads of anyone opposing her. Surreptitiusly attempting to usurp her throne, however, is the Mad Hatter (Kate Shindle) who kidnaps Chloe in an attempt to keep Alice from replacing her in the queen's favor.

El Gato, and Jack with his White Knight backup singers performing corny choreography (by Marguerie Gherricks) are really fun. The fun display of six women playing the caterpillar's legs is clever and visually satusying as well. The large sets (Neil Patel, design) and colorful costumes (Susan Hilferty) are entertaining, and the looking glass effect (Paul Gallo, lighting design) is nicely executed. We are left wondering a few things, however, like why are a bunch of men dressed as child Alice look-alikes? Where did the caterpillar’s legs go?

There isn’t much to wonder about when it comes to the script, however, with dialogue that can be downright laughable at times. When it does veer off the predictable path, it’s not believable at all, like when Alice stops to have a nice chat and a song with Lewis Carroll before resuming her quest to save her kidnapped daughter.

Wonderland leaves us wondering what might have been if the book had been edited and if a few weaker songs had been polished. It could have been a wonder indeed.

Wonderland plays at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, NYC through May 15. Discounted tickets are available at http://www.givenik.com/show_info.php/Masterworks/288/individual.
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