Theater Review: ALICE BY HEART (Kokandy Productions — Midwest Premiere at The Chopin Theatre)

ALICE BY HEART:
FULL-HEARTED PRODUCTION; HALF-HEARTED SCRIPT

Alice by Heart follows a young girl, Alice (Caitlyn Cerza), during the London Blitz of World War II as she takes refuge in her beloved copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice and her friend Alfred (Joe Giovannetti), who is deathly ill with tuberculosis, seek shelter in an underground tube station. Not ready to say goodbye to her beloved friend, Alice reads him their favorite book so they can escape into Wonderland one last time. Kokandy Productions’ Midwest premiere of Alice by Heart directed by Derek Van Barham and Brittney Brown is a perfectly OK musical, but at The Chopin Theatre, it’s performed by an exceptional cast.

Will Lidke, Elliot Esquivel, Caitlyn Cerza,
Niki-Charisse Franco, Darian Goulding, Ezra Borrero

(front) Mizha Lee Overn, Caitlyn Cerza and Alex Stetkevich with (back) Ezra Borrero,
Will Lidke, Darian Goulding, Niki-Charisse Franco, Patrick O''Keefe, Elliot Esquivel

The musical by Steven Sater (book and lyrics), Jessie Nelson (book), and Duncan Sheik (music) is fairly successful once they enter into Wonderland, but it has a little trouble getting off the ground. I think the time spent in the tube station in London could have been better used by the bookwriters to establish more history between Alice and Alfred, who apparently are in love. Alice’s grief is palpable, but a deeper connection between the two would raise the stakes. And it’s a bit odd that Alfred is dying of TB when he had also been apparently pulled from the rubble of a bombed building just before the story begins. Both TB and being buried alive feel like overkill (literally). As a whole, Sater and Nelson’s book is rough around the edges, functioning often as rushed transitions between musical numbers rather than well-rounded scenes.

Mizha Lee Overn, Joe Giovannetti, Will Lidke and Caitlyn Cerza

Niki-Charisse Franco and Caitlyn Cerza with the cast

Sheik’s music is certainly the highlight of the original material. He puts teenage angst to music fantastically well, as is evident in his much more famous musical with Sater, Spring Awakening. While Cerza played a bit too adult for this Alice, who the text frequently suggests is going through puberty, both she and Giovannetti did Sheik’s music justice with effortlessly soaring vocals (music direction by Heidi Joosten).

Caitlyn Cerza and Joe Giovannetti

Joe Giovannetti, Will Lidke and Ezra Borrero with (back) Caitlyn Cerza

The entire cast gives very strong performances, but a few stand out as exceptional. Mizha Overn as Tabatha and the Cheshire Cat had my attention from the very beginning. Her powerful stage presence and rich voice consistently draws focus to her. Patrick O’Keefe immediately delights as the Duchess, wielding a hand fan like a weapon. Niki-Charisse Franco gives a powerhouse performance as the queen, showing off both comedy chops and a wonderful voice. With his impeccable comic timing, I particularly loved Darian Goulding as the King of Hearts and the Mock Turtle, but he shows his range by pulling out a genuinely fearsome Jabberwocky. Will Lidke gives a crazed performance as the Mad Hatter, while still managing to stay in control. He struck a balance between horrifying and endearing at the Tea Party that makes him astoundingly appealing.

Darian Goulding and Caitlyn Cerza

Patrick O''Keefe with (back) Will Lidke and Elliot Esquivel

“Sick to Death of Alice-Ness,” the song sung during the Mad Hatter’s tea party, was perhaps my favorite, partially due to Sheik’s delightful composition, but also because of Barham’s clever choreography. A stunning moment comes with the Mad Hatter scrambling under the table, crawling at Alice like something out of a horror movie, aided by Matt Reich’s strong sound design.

Costume designer Rachel Sypniewski pulled together simple costuming to distinguish between characters played by the same actors and allude to the beloved children’s book without being too on the nose. Costumes for the Duchess and Mad Hatter were particularly successful.

Caitlyn Cerza, Emily Ling Mei, Darian Goulding and Peter Stielstra

(front right) Alex Stetkevich (center, l to r) Caitlyn Cerza and Joe Giovannetti
(back, l to r) Niki-Charisse Franco, Mizha Lee Overn and Will Lidke

The one design element that didn’t really work was the set by G “Max” Maxin IV. Planks of wood covered the space and were removed by actors occasionally to use as props. Perhaps it was a nod to the idea that buildings are falling apart in London as the bombs drop, or perhaps it was somehow thematically connected to loss, but it feels aesthetically disconnected from the production.

 Mizha Lee Overn, Niki-Charisse Franco, Caitlyn Cerza, Alex Stetkevich, Patrick O'Keefe

Emily Ling Mei, Joe Giovannetti and Peter Stielstra with the cast

With themes of growing up, loss, and learning how to grieve, Alice by Heart is a perfectly charming little musical, especially if you have a special connection to Alice in Wonderland. For me, it was a nice evening, and I’m glad I’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again. I’ll certainly be back for more from  though.

Joe Giovannetti and Caitlyn Cerza

photos by Evan Hanover

Alice by Heart
Kokandy Productions
The Chopin Studio Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.
thurs-Sat at 7; Sun at 5
ends on September 29, 2024
for tickets ($15-$55), visit Kokandy

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago