The tickets to this show should all read “buy me”

Main Street Productions takes you down the rabbit hole in Westfield

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

Main Street Productions (MSP) is taking audiences of all ages on a journey to another world when Alice in Wonderland hits the stage at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St., from July 16 to 26. Wonderland is such a strange and trippy place that The Reporter needed a guide through that wonder-filled world. While Alice had her Cheshire Cat, we spoke with MSP Director Amber K. Roth.

“Our production is very much catered to what we call in theater TYA, which is theater for young audiences,” Roth said. “Our concept is larger than life, so we are following very closely to Lewis Carroll’s book. Not only does the script stay very true to the book, but it’s not Disneyfied.”

While Alice’s journey is one written for younger readers, this play has something to offer everyone who’s ever taken a journey of imagination.

“Piper Williams is my assistant director for this production,” Roth said. “She got a minor in theater back in college and is currently an elementary school teacher in Carmel Clay Schools. Her first-grade class is our main demographic to watch the show, but anybody from three years old to 93 is a hundred percent welcome to come and dive into the world of Wonderland.”

Alice falls asleep in a garden while reading stories and dreams of being in a magical world of symbolism and adventure, and MSP will take you into that dreamworld.

“What we see in that dream is magnified,” Roth said. “In our whole world of Wonderland, we are going into the garden itself that she has fallen asleep in, as if Wonderland was smaller. We’re seeing super tall, large, flowers. We have six- to seven-foot-tall blades of grass. This is definitely larger than life. Everything that we see in a normal garden has been magnified so that we are as small as ants.”

This youth production draws on a cast of 27 ranging in age from 10 to 18 years old. That age group provides for a wide physical range in the actors, helping build the illusion that Alice is in a larger-than-life setting.

“Our Queen of Hearts is substantially taller than our Alice,” Roth said. “She’s already at least five nine, and our Alice is five feet. We have added an additional three more inches to our queen of hearts with high heels.”

Roth told The Reporter this show has impressive costume work to go with the massive set decoration.

“Our Cheshire cat really leads our show,” Roth said. “He introduces Alice to us. He’s the one that tells us our hellos and our goodbyes, and keeps our guardian watch over Alice. We have this beautiful jacket that has this really cool tiger-like print to it that has been completely structured for our Cheshire. Everything is custom-made. There’s nothing in there that I would say you could typically find anywhere else.”

In addition to seeing a great show, supporting young actors, and reliving a classic story, audiences might also walk away with a few philosophical questions to ponder in the days to follow.

“We are getting philosophical in this show,” Roth said. “We are getting very deep down to understanding who we are as individuals, why we go on the path that we do, and how we navigate them while being able not to just understand ourselves but understand others. We do dive deep into that, but overall if you are looking for a fun, family-friendly time, do not let these young actors fool you – you are getting a professional-quality performance at a friendly community rate. If you ever thought for a second that your child would like theater and like to be exposed to it, definitely take them to see Alice in Wonderland!”

Go to BasileWestfieldPlayhouse.org or call (317) 402-3341 for tickets.