‘Alice@Wonderland’: a classic with a modern tech twist

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2024 (360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Teenager Alice is in a strange place when the battery dies on her phone. Sounds like that would be a tragedy in itself for any teenager, but Lisa Vasconcelos says what happens down the rabbit hole is hilarious in the latest kids musical opening tonight at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

“This is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland, but this one takes a new kind of twist, where Alice — who is a phone and technology obsessed teenager, ends up down the rabbit hole with her phone, but it doesn’t work,” said Vasconcelos, the production’s director and producer.

“So, she talks a lot about, ‘If only my phone would work I could Google this, or I could Google that,’ so, the characters of Wonderland are working with her to help her see life without technology,” Vasconcelos said.

The curtain rises tonight at 7:30 p.m., with two shows on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a production that features more than 100 young people in the cast.

This will be the 11th all-kids musical that Vasconcelos has directed. She founded Mecca Productions 23 years ago and since then has presented more than 30 community musicals with adult cast members and numerous community plays.

There are kids as young as six years old in this latest show, she said — and Vasconcelos is not only excited for parents to see their children perform at the auditorium but for the actors to discover that “feeling of their first time on the big stage.”

“They have just been so cute and fun to work with, and they put our ability as adults to memorize lines to shame. They’ve had to work very hard,” Vasconcelos said.

“For example, our Alice is in every scene, she has almost 300 lines in this show, so they all have a lot to memorize — up to 13 songs, and all the kids are doing great,” she said.

The musical is called “Alice@Wonderland” and features a lot of the same characters from the original story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” as Carroll’s work was titled. There’s the Mad Hatter, the King and Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, the March Hare, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the Cheshire Cat.

Laughter will come from people of all ages because of the adaptations to the modern world we live in today, added Vasconcelos. For instance, instead of smoking a hookah, the caterpillar is addicted to Starbucks.

“And Alice is a phone and technology obsessed teenager, so when her battery dies, the flowers are telling her to enjoy life, and the March Hare is reminding her you never know how many moments you’re going to have.

“It’s that whole idea of being present and being in the moment, because as we all know, technology takes that away. And it’s kind of timely, especially with the new cellphone ban happening in schools,” Vasconcelos said.

Some of Mecca’s top performers from previous productions are joining Vasconcelos to direct the music, create costumes and puppetry, assist with direction and call the show.

“Our musical director is Mitch Wedgewood, he’s a music teacher in Hartney, choreography is by Brianna Dyck, Hannah Price is assistant director and production manager, and Susan Brechmann is calling the show.

Vasconcelos added the production is fortunate to have Marilyn Harden on the team. She created the Cheshire Cat, which is a three-person puppet. Vasconcelos herself is both directing and producing the show, and laughed when asked about getting into big productions and setting the bar higher each time.

“I think it’s a blessing and a curse that I’m a whole-to-part learner and thinker, so I just see the big picture at the end, and not all the little pieces,” she said, adding it’s a pleasure to work with youth on the project.

“But I really, really, really enjoy it. And now that I’m not teaching in the school system anymore, it’s nice for me to be around their energy and their enthusiasm.”

Tickets for Mecca’s “Alice@Wonderland” are $27.00 for adults, and $21.00 for those aged 12 and under. For more information call the WMCA at 204-728-9510.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele