By JESSE GRAHAM
HEALESVILLE High School students took to the stage on Thursday night to present an all-out performance of the classic story, Alice in Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland Jr opened at the high school’s Ion Whykes Theatre on Thursday, 27 August, following a matinee performance for kindergarten students.
Most of the seats in the theatre were full by the time the Mad Hatter (Rory Davies) burst through the curtains, flawlessly reading the poem of the Jabberwocky.
Spanning just over an hour, Alice in Wonderland Jr followed Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland, in pursuit of the darting and anxious White Rabbit.
Each scene in the show was elaborately set with projected backgrounds, props and musical pieces, all passionately performed by the students, who never missed a beat with their lines.
Alice’s transformation at the hands of Wonderland’s various food and drinks were illustrated by cast changes, with four different Alices acted out by Nikita Aldridge, Amber Winthrop, Tiani Heatherich and Estelle Peterson.
The well-known Cheshire Cat was also acted out by five students – Faith Butler, Lucy Waddingham, Sophie Smith, Nicole Maile and Molly Hore.
And the group made the change work, with three on stage finishing one another’s sentences and moving as one through the scenes.
Memorable scenes and characters from the Lewis Carroll novel and Disney’s adaptation of the story can be found in the stage show, with the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar (Chenile Chandler) stealing the show with animated delivery.
Referencing the original novel’s game of flamingo-croquet, the story deviates slightly by having Alice go up against the Queen of Hearts (Hannah Chan-Algie) in a game of Simon Says – but you’ll have to go to the show to see the result.
From the well-performed songs, fantastic technical production and character-developing scenes, to the many funny moments – Alice’s introduction to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum is a standout – Alice in Wonderland Jr is a powerful show, which will set a high bar for performances in the years to come.
The show will be performed on Friday 28 August from 7.30pm and Saturday 29 August from 2pm and 7.30pm.
Tickets are available at www.healesvillehs.vic.edu.au or at the door.
