Karlin’s ‘Alice’ brings world of wonder to Cunningham

Last week, Barber Theatre morphed into a tospy-turvy wonderland, where life became “Curiouser and curiouser” from the moment little Alice tumbled down White Rabbit’s hole.
Director Samantha Karlin ’10, a theatre major, “became re-enraptured with the story Alice and Wonderland in the fall of 2008, when [her] studies abroad in London led [her] to take a weekend trip to Oxford, the birthplace of said tale.”
She resolved to someday direct a theatrical version of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece. Just a year later, her dream came true. Alice’s adventures hopped from the pages of a book to the stage of a theater through the craftsmanship of the Manhattan Theatre Project, under the direction of André Gregory.
“The most important part of this, for me, was figuring out what this world known as ‘Wonderland’ was: what is this place Alice falls into?” Karlin said. “What is this place that all these crazy characters reside in?”
She gleaned inspiration from pop-art and comic books. “[These] inspired the set, costumes, and lights in terms of color scheme and general appearance,” she said. With the help of Josh Peklo, former technical director for the Yale Repertory Theatre, and fellow theatre major Nick Jennison ’11, the sets and lighting soon sparkled with the magic of Wonderland.
Actors galloped, hopped and tumbled over a stage-sized open book whose pages formed the set’s floor and backdrop.
Hannah Jordan ’13 thought the overall effect was marvelous “The set was really cool. It added a lot of depth to the play,” she said.
The inhabitants of this fantasy world also dazzled the senses. Karlin admits, though, that there were difficulties with characterization. “[It] was a challenging process because the 20-something characters were to be portrayed by only six actors, so it was our job to figure out ways to make these character changes clear, distinct and exciting,” she said.
Each actor switched among a diverse variety of characters through expert manipulation of different voices and mannerisms. While masks and costumes enhanced the effect, transformations derived their success from each actor’s skillful versatility.
Many familiar with Disney’s tame adaptation of Carroll’s rollicking story found their minds reeling at last weekend’s fantastical performance. Alice’s practical nature contrasted sharply with the absurdities of Wonderland’s inhabitants.
Actress Samantha Krusi ’13 played the title character. She communicated the 7-year-old’s curiosity as well as her tenacious insistence upon sense in the midst of nonsense. The rude creatures of Wonderland constantly jolt Alice’s confidence in her own cultural refinement and good manners.
Alice’s orderly view of the world wavers under the pressure of the illogical Wonderland. While buoyant of spirit and occasionally amused by the antics of the creatures about her, Alice’s nerves gradually fray. She feels increasingly lost and alone in her wanderings, all the way from the Mad Hatter’s tea party to the Red Queen’s croquet game.
Alice’s adventures, for all their absurdity, probe much more sober themes, such as identity formation and the search for reason. Because Alice’s physical size constantly fluctuates in Wonderland, she struggles with her identity and cries with frustration,“Who in the world am I?”
The play also toys with the notion that life is simply an insoluble puzzle. Bold and lively dialogue sharply exposes the absurdities of the English language and society through riddles, puns and games of logic. While the imaginative splendor of the play enchants the child, its social satire and delightful wordplay challenge the adult.
“’Alice’ has been a huge learning experience for me, as I hope it has been for the entire cast,” Karlin said. “In the end, I am very happy with how the production turned out and am very proud of my actors and my design team. They really helped make my vision come to life.”

 

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