On the surface, “Alice by Heart” seems like an affectionate character adaptation of a beloved children’s classic. But once you go down the rabbit hole, it’s a gut wrenching exploration of madness, grief and courage.
Boston University on Broadway, BU’s premier musical theater group, performed “Alice by Heart” at the Agganis Arena Student Theater from March 20 to 22 in a sold-out run.
The musical follows young Alice Spencer taking shelter in an underground London tube station during World War II. When her dear friend Alfred falls ill, Alice encourages him to join her in reciting their favorite book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” from memory one last time.
As Alice and Alfred race down a rabbit hole and transform the tube station into their own Wonderland, they learn to accept loss and to move forward despite the urge to find refuge from their madness.
Before the show began, Director Sam Sampliner, a sophomore, thanked her cast and crew for bringing joy to her world gone mad during the production of “Alice by Heart.” Her care and commitment to telling the story, which had heavy themes surrounding escapism, could be seen even after the lights dimmed.
Sophomore Katie Hadsock-Longarzo absolutely dazzled as Alice from the beginning. Her powerful voice filled the intimate theater during “West of Words,” and her expressions throughout the show said everything I felt. From the third row, I could see tears in her eyes as she completed “The Key Is” which received rousing applause.
Hadsock-Longarzo was perfectly accompanied by sophomore Jude Taylor, who played Alfred, as well as the White Rabbit. The actors’ chemistry emphasized their characters’ budding love, which intensified the struggle between Alice’s wish to linger in the book’s pages and Alfred’s desire to finish the story with the little time he had left.
While I came in unfamiliar with “Alice by Heart’s” premise, I was immediately flooded with nostalgia for the original Wonderland tale. The cast excellently communicated the parallels between the original story and this reinvented one, but the costume team really brought it home.
The beautiful costumes subtly blended elements from London and Wonderland, such as the Red Cross Nurse’s apron that became the Queen of Hearts’ gown with a hand-print-heart. The Mock Turtles’ “shells” were the steel helmets of bomb shelter dwellers, and the Jabberwock’s crown was made of medical scissors and stethoscope earpieces reminiscent of his London identity, Dr. Butridge.
This production was a success because of the captivating choreography. It first struck me in “Chillin’ the Regrets,” when the ensemble perfectly emulated caterpillar-like movements. Jonah Musher-Eizenman and Emily Sun Lee captivated Alice and the audience as Caterpillars 1 and 2, making it one of the show’s strongest numbers.
Freshman Derek Olson was another standout as Harold Pudding, a traumatized soldier who doubles in Wonderland as the Mad Hatter. His chilling depiction of madness and inner torment was heartbreaking, and his physicality in “Sick to Death of Alice-Ness” was compelling to watch.
The few sprinkles of comedic relief in the otherwise solemn show were dominated by sophomore Lauren de Geus as Duchess and senior Hadysha Miller as the Queen of Hearts. De Geus bounced around in a hoop skirt while telling Alice to manage her “flamingo,” and Miller owned the trial scene with her sing-songy declarations that Alice is “guilty” during her commanding execution of “Isn’t It A Trial?”
The production took advantage of all the space it could in the small Student Theater. At the beginning of “Brillig Braelig,” Alice tries to run through the aisle and is stopped by the fearsome Jabberwock, played by senior Lachlan Beattie.
Red light hit the actors on the side of the theater, and I sat inches from a shadowy Beattie as he chased Hadsock-Longarzo back onto the stage with his chilling laugh and sickening cough.
Alfred’s impending death was exacerbated by the performances of “Some Things Fall Away” by junior Hannah Dubroff and “Another Room In Your Head” by Taylor and Hadsock-Longarzo. Dubroff’s gorgeously crisp voice enlivened the Cheshire Cat’s song and brought tears to my eyes.
“Afternoon” brought the show to a somber end.
Taylor hugged Hadsock-Longarzo tight, their onstage chemistry amplifying Alfred’s fear of death, Alice’s grief and the two characters’ immense love for one another.
Back in the tube station for the finale, Alice recites the end of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and the company unites for a teary eyed rendition of “Winter Blooms,” led by Hadsock-Longarzo and Dubroff. The production concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation.
“Alice by Heart” left me heavy hearted but hopeful. At a time when madness seems to be seeping into every crack of our lives, we all could use a Wonderland—something BUOB spectacularly conveyed.
While the White Rabbit chased time and Alice wanted to linger on the pages, it’s important to savor every word while knowing the story must, at one point, come to an end.
Lauren de Geus is a part of The Daily Free Press Multimedia team. She was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
