Going down the rabbit hole
For most of the show, Alice is seen as being manipulated and pushed around — by Carroll, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat (whose grungy, weather-beaten appearance seems to be a throwback to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats) — until she comes into her own by first slaying the Jabberwock monster and finally rebelling against the Red Queen’s army of cards.
From jaw-dropping technical achievements to cuteness overload, there’s plenty to love in Alice (in Wonderland). Alice is hoisted up to the level of the second-tier gallery in the scene where she grows to an enormous size after eating a piece of cake. Child dancers dressed up as hedgehogs roll over adorably when hit by the flamingo mallets in a game of croquet.
The color palette (sets by James Kronzer; costumes by Liz Vandal) seems to be overflowing with lush, fluorescent hues, enhanced by giant cutouts. The music (Matthew Pierce) runs the gamut — from a Swan Lake-ish composition to match the dance of the flamingos to more funky tunes. The Jabberwock is an improvised version of the contraption used in Chinese dragon dance, providing a sweet local touch.
Three dancers stood out from among the enormous cast of adults and children. Brooklyn Mack of the Washington Ballet, who played both the Dodo Bird and Joker (Knave of Hearts), was riveting. The pirouettes performed by him were a joy to watch. Jin Yao as Mother/Red Queen held her stiff, menacing facial expression, befitting a playing card persona, from start to finish — a perfect antithesis to Chen Zhiyao’s Alice who was completely believable as a curious young woman with a spring in her step.