Lazar Bozic

Quince Orchard High School

Vibrant lights stretch across a single door, and as it opens the audience goes down, down, down the rabbit hole and into a phantasmagoria of whimsy. This was the beginning of "Alice In Wonderland," performed by the talented cast and crew of Langley High School. This show absolutely sang with comedic chaos as a whirlwind of humor unleashed on stage.

Adapted by Anne Coulter Martens and written by Lewis Caroll, Alice’s oft told story revolves around a young girl falling down a rabbit hole and finding herself in a topsy turvy realm of impossibilities and dangers. Alice must navigate the anarchy of Wonderland, dealing with various capricious figures like the mischievous Cheshire Cat, the tyrannical Queen of Hearts, the unstable Mad Hatter, and many more characters of various dispositions.

This was represented by the bright Ava Carter, carrying all the charm of a classical fairytale heroine. This sweetness was contrasted by the charming absurdity of the menagerie of beasts and beings populating Wonderland. The first of these beings was the clever Cheshire Cat, played by Lily Tani. Tani’s razor sharp timing formed a character who was ultimately helpful and kind, but delightfully devious to watch run playful circles around Alice’s outdated logic. Their relationship was a delight to watch, Carter and Tani bouncing off of each other’s performances with exuberance and bringing life to scenes.

Clashing with this helping hand was the vicious iron fist of her majesty, the Queen of Hearts. This bloodthirsty ruler was brought to magnificent life by Scarlett Spano, who owned the stage just as much as the Queen owned Wonderland. Spano had an incredibly commanding energy, and sent the audience into uproarious applause every time she made a royal entrance. The queens' various subjects and retinue also made the most of their silly characters, each having their own time to shine and show off their strengths as a performer. Notable figures among these included the Tea Party Trio. The Mad Hatter (Brady Kastner) was excellently chaotic, and was supported and balanced by the short temper of the March Hare (Neev Poran) and the humor of the Dormouse (Arlo Kouzoukas). Standout performers included Daniel Qiu as the Mock Turtle and Wesley Smith as the Caterpillar. Daniel Qiu made comedy out of melancholy and maintained impressive control of his body language and movement. Wesley Smith managed to deliver one liners with an unflinching and hilarious air of superiority.

These actors were given a delightful playground to work in, with a fantastical set designed and built by Killian Korchnak, Mo Rees, Sreeja Vemuri, and Yasmine Said. Four entirely different rooms cycled in a rotating stage with the carousel adding to the twisting feeling of nonsense that suffused Wonderland. Furthermore, the costumes had an impressive amount of detail, each outfit carrying important information about its character. From the Queen of Hearts gigantic and regal dress, to the glow in the dark Ultra Violet lighting of the Cheshire Cat’s stripes, the entirely hand-stitched pieces truly added to the sense of magic.

All in all, this incredible feeling of psychedelic fantasy that was assembled by a controlled art direction stood out as an ambitious new take on an evergreen story. Every piece of Langley High School's production of "Alice In Wonderland" worked together towards a unified tone. As Alice says a tearful goodbye to Wonderland in the show's conclusion, so must the audience, left only with incredible memories of the world they just journeyed through.

Theresa Varga

Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School

What good is a key if you don’t know what door it opens? That is what Alice strives to figure out after she stumbles upon the wonder-filled world that is Wonderland in Langley High School’s production of "Alice in Wonderland."

Based on the book by Lewis Carroll, the story of "Alice in Wonderland" follows Alice after she lands in Wonderland and journeys through all of its nonsense and insanity as she tries to find her way back home to the real world. Throughout her journey, she encounters many of Wonderland’s mad inhabitants, including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the Queen of Hearts. Langley High School’s production of "Alice in Wonderland" captured the bizarre and wacky essence of Wonderland through the actors’ over-the-top and exaggerated performances and the tech’s whimsical design choices.

Leading the audience through the strange and fantastical place that is Wonderland was Alice, played by Ava Carter. Carter’s sense of innocence and sweetness greatly contrasted that of the insanity seen in the ensemble of characters she met in Wonderland and her performance helped to highlight truly how mad these Wonderland characters were. One of these characters was the Queen of Hearts. Commanding the stage through every entrance, every exit, and every moment in between was Scarlett Spano as the over-the-top and overly dramatic ruler of Wonderland. Spano’s larger-than-life presence took control over every scene she was in and made a lasting impact on the characters and the audience alike.

Another peculiar character that Alice encountered on her wanderings through Wonderland was the Mock Turtle, played by Daniel Qiu. Qiu took a melancholy character and created a hilarious and memorable scene centered on the strange topics of lobsters and soup. Qiu and his scene partner, the Gryphon (played by Alden Walcott), captured the attention of the audience through their commitment to comedic timing and physical movements and their humorous execution of the Lobster Dance and the Mock Turtle’s heartfelt song “Soup of the Evening.”

Immersing the audience and the actors into the world of Wonderland was the production’s quirky design and technical elements. Taking center stage (quite literally), was the production’s incredible rotating set piece. The set, designed and constructed by Killian Korchnak, Mo Rees, Sreeja Vemuri, and Yasmine Said, featured a large rotating center piece that served as a multitude of different locations throughout the play, and its spinning helped create the sense of topsy-turvyness that belongs in Wonderland. The costumes, designed and created by Leo Rose, Logan Dooley, and Rory Evans, presented a unique interpretation of a beloved story and of beloved characters, taking much of their inspiration from the book instead of the more familiar movie versions. In order to accomplish their artistic visions, the costumes crew had many of their fabrics custom printed. Each of the costumes highlighted that character’s personality, which was especially evident in the bright red, playing card lined gown of the Queen of Hearts that commanded the stage just as much as she did.                   

Langley High School’s production of Alice in Wonderland transported not only Alice but also the audience to the nonsensical world of Wonderland. Through a whimsical and entertaining adventure, Alice came to realize that the key she held with her was understanding. And the moral of this story is that understanding can open any door.