Absurdities multiply like rabbits in ‘Alice’ performance
NORMAN — Absurdities not only abounded, but bounded, and seemed to multiply like rabbits in a delightful staging of “Alice in Wonderland.”
The University of Oklahoma version of the beloved Victorian fantasy tale opened April 27 at Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, 563 Elm Ave.
Adapted by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus from the 1865 book by Lewis Carroll, it was briskly directed by Judith Midyet Pender.
Divided into 11 scenes, with no intermission, it balanced bizarre fantasy with stylized, over-thetop acting, outlandish costumes and wild wordplay.
Madi Bready was excellent as Alice, clad in a flowery blue on white dress, like porcelain, and exaggerating her movements just enough.
Charming but cheeky, Bready was endearing and unstoppable, talking back to the fantastic animal, vegetable, verbal and playing card characters.
Special effects and props helped Bready, as she tried to get small or big enough to enter the garden through The Little Door and fell into the rabbit hole.
Clad mostly in white with a neat white beard, Laurel “Trae” Havens
III brought irresistible, sprightly but quirky movements to The White Rabbit.
Audrey Armacost was superbly seductive, exploiting an exotic costume and hairdo as she explained the fantastic possibilities of The Mushroom in Scene Four.
Wearing a pink dress and an even more outrageous hairdo, Race Ricketts was wonderfully grotesque as The Duchess, presiding over her kitchen in Scene Five.
Sierra Walker had some good moments as the widely grinning Cheshire Cat, as did Abigail Schmitz, making the most of the thankless part of the Dormouse.
Presiding over a riculously long table in The Mad Tea Party were Chase Durrett in a tall Mad Hatter top hat and Corey Morse, sporting floppy ears, as The March Hare.
Riley Smith cut a striking, imperious figure as the Queen of Hearts, who seemed to love threatening decapitation by shouting “off with his or her head!”
Kat Holland wore a small but elongated crown well as her king, and Micah Weese made comic use of slow motion as a Mock Turtle campfire storyteller.
Kevin Cook and David Schmitz stole scene eight as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, while Paxton Kliewer supplied comic relief as a kind of Wild Western gryphon.
Adding to all the mockery and mayhem were actors dressed as playing cards, marching through the audience like soldiers of the guard.
Rushing past in under two hours, and nearly impossible to follow logically, which was as it should be, OU’s family-friendly production of “Alice” is highly recommended.