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A story of imagination forged under pressure takes the stage later this month when \u201cAlice by Heart,\u201d a musical set against the backdrop of the London Blitz during World War II, comes to UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlice by Heart\u201d features music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, and is based on a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson.<\/p>\n
The musical centers on Alice Spencer and her best friend, Alfred, two teenagers sheltering in an underground bunker during the bombing of London. As war closes in, the pair retreat into their shared copy of Lewis Carroll\u2019s \u201cAlice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland,\u201d transforming the bunker and its inhabitants into a reimagined Wonderland shaped by memory, fear and grief.<\/p>\n
The production is directed by Steve Ray, head of the UTC Department of Theatre and artistic director of the UTC Theatre Co.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a musical that was recommended by our students,\u201d Ray said. \u201cEvery year we take solicitations from our students about what plays they would like to do, and this was high on their list. This is a very fun, unique play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray said the dual worlds of the production\u2014wartime London and Wonderland\u2014are essential to how the story unfolds on stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Blitz is the chaos that is the world of the play, but it has to change to Alice in Wonderland just for these young people to get through it,\u201d he said. \u201cAs the play progresses, we see more and more of Wonderland take over as an escape or a way to deal with the difficulty of the pain of war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray pointed to the creative team behind the musical as a draw for audiences. Sheik and Sater are the creators of \u201cSpring Awakening,\u201d the Tony Award-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2006. Sheik, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, is also known for the 1996 hit \u201cBarely Breathing,\u201d which was ranked No. 88 on VH1\u2019s \u201c100 Greatest Songs of the \u201990s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some great music\u2014interesting, unusual music for musical theater,\u201d Ray said. \u201cBut I think the real thing is the way this play just has a visceral gut punch. It tugs on your heartstrings in ways you don\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re going to get a lot of interest in this production,\u201d Ray said. \u201cYoung people love this musical.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Later this semester, the UTC Theatre Co. will present \u201cBirthday Candles\u201d by Noah Haidle from Apr. 14-18. \u201cBirthday Candles\u201d \u00a0is a tale about Ernestine Ashworth, who spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it\u2019s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one cake baked over a century.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit the UTC Theatre Co. page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n