ORLANDO, Fla. – Citrus Music is bringing the Central Florida premiere of the moving musical production “Alice by Heart” to Orlando.
The show, inspired by Lewis Caroll’s classic 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was originally presented by London’s Royal National Theatre in 2012.
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The story set in the London Blitz during World War II, follows the life-altering experiences of young teen Alice Spencer and her friend, Alfred. Upon being quarantined, Alice and Alfred cope by turning to escapism through the cherished classic book and “travel down the rabbit hole” to “Wonderland.”
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Emily Fielder plays Alice. She explained what it takes to play the role and how she understands her character.
“I believe playing Alice takes realizing that she is really just a kid. Alice is dealing with many different hardships in this show and uses Wonderland to escape. She is simply trying to keep everything how it’s been because that’s all she knows. Alice genuinely doesn’t understand how she would go on if things stray away from her original ‘story,’” Fielder said.
This production explores the poignancy of first love, grappling with loss, and finding the courage to move forward even in the harshest of times.
“Alice does not like change. She doesn’t like that inevitably she has to grow up and things won’t be as easy as they once seemed to her. I’ve seen this as a similarity between us as I go into my senior year of high school. I’m seeing everything change as I prepare to graduate and the more things that shift, the more I feel me and Alice may deal with these changes in the same way,” Fielder said.
Planning for the show first began in December.
“The audience can expect to be transported between reality and fantasy quite rapidly throughout the show. We will see familiar characters from Lewis Carol’s classic- seen in a whole new light,” said Nicholas Wainwright, director of the musical production.
He said they announced the show in January and the audition process started in April. Everyone started rehearsing in June.
“This particular show involves a ton of moving parts/staffing to perform properly. We blur the lines between actors and musicians constantly in this musical production. So it takes 15 performers who never leave the stage, our crew prepping the space, technicians, creative staff, and constant collaboration and curation to create the whimsicality the piece craves,” Wainwright said.
This off-Broadway hit, consisting of a cast of 16 actors, is bringing its intimate and impactful production to Orlando, with the award-winning creative team behind Orlando Fringe’s “The Old Man and the Old Moon.” It features music directed by Maura Sitzmann and choreography by Malik Van Hoozer-Elliott.
“Every vocal choice, ensemble harmony, and orchestration is made with intention to support the storytelling. While an audience can’t always “see” these choices like you can with staging or choreography, the music clues us in to subtext and stirs emotion in us subconsciously,” Sitzmann explained.
This production brings together a unique partnership between Citrus Music and Horizon West Theatre Company. It will run at the ME Theatre in Orlando near Universal Aug. 2-3.
To learn more about this show or to purchase tickets, visit the production’s website.
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