Alice in Wonderland youth musical opens for six shows

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole on Mountain Creek Road

Don’t be late for this very important date: “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.” is opening Friday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Four Squares Business Center Theatre for six performances.

The classic tale of Alice’s trip through the looking glass is presented by CDE Kids, the youth division of Closed Door Entertainment. CDE is a community theatrical organization directed by JC Smith. Smith says the “Jr.” of this title indicates the production has been reduced to just over an hour from the standard-length musical.

“Disney’s Alice in Won- derland Jr.” is based on the 1951 Disney f ilm “Alice in Wonderland” and the novels “The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll.

The audience will follow Alice down the rabbit hole to her madcap adventures in Wonderland. Kara Mullins, 11, has been cast as Alice, and Smith says audiences will recognize her from roles in CDE productions of “Titanic the Musical,” “The Addams Family Musical” and “Mary Poppins, the Musical.”

All of the book’s unforgettable characters are here: the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Callahan Grant is portraying the Mad Hatter, and Sarah Cate is the White Rabbit. They and Alice are part of a cast of 21 children ranging in age from 7 to 14.

Mark Tyson and Nolon Barry are directing this musical, which Kaycie Kraft has choreographed. Smith says costuming has been created by “an army of seamstresses” led by Joyce Trabue and Sherrie Taggart.

“Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.” is a night of family entertainment complete with toe-tapping tunes, tea parties, card guards and talking doorknobs.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO JC Smith and Kara Mullins, who is cast as Alice in “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.”