GENEVA – With characters like Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Jabberwocky, you might think the Geneva High School Thespians were staging a production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
But their upcoming Spring musical is something different, a unique story set against the backdrop of war.
On March 13, 14, and 15 in the Geneva High School Auditorium, the students will present “Alice by Heart,” a musical that takes place in an underground tube station during World War II as the Blitz pounds London.
According to Geneva High School Theatre Director Robin Christopher, the musical tells the story of Alice Spencer as she and other people take shelter in the underground from the German bombing.
“It follows her growing up,” Christopher said. “She has a childhood friend, and she’s in love with him. He’s in the underground with her, but he has tuberculosis. So, she has to cope with his illness.”
That’s where the story and characters from the classic Lewis Carroll story come in as Alice takes “Alice in Wonderland” with her, and starts reading the book to her friend, Alfred.
But a Red Cross nurse grabs the book away from her and tells Alice that she can’t be near her friend, who has to be isolated as a result of his illness.
“She says, ‘Well, that’s OK, I know it by heart, hence ‘Alice by Heart,’” Christopher said.
Then, Alice starts telling the story of “Alice in Wonderland.” The people in the underground start becoming the characters from the book, according to Christopher.
For example, the Red Cross nurse becomes the Queen of Hearts and the doctor turns into the Jabberwocky character.
Christopher especially likes the songs in the musical, which are described as an “incredible pop-rock score.”
“Through the songs, we see Alice not only growing up, but dealing with grief – the grief of war, the grief of losing her friend,” Christopher said. “You can actually see the stages of grief.”
Grief is visualized through the Mock Turtle characters — another nod to Carroll and his classic work of literature.
“For example, the Mock Turtles, their song is ‘Shell of Grief,’ so it shows how you just hide behind your grief,” Christopher said.“The Caterpillar song, ‘Chillin’ the Regrets,’ is like denial, denying your grief. So, the songs follow this grief process.”
Although there are sad moments in the musical, she noted there are also very funny ones.
Christopher said the musical opened in London a number of years ago, and then was performed off Broadway in 2019.
A description of “Alice by Heart” notes that it “explores the poignancy of first love, coming to terms with loss, and finding the courage to move forward,” and “encourages us all to celebrate the transformational power of the imagination, even in the harshest of times.”
“It is a very challenging musical,” Christopher said. “I chose it because I love it, and I have to be passionate about what I direct. And I love the message that it brings. The kids love it because of the music and the story.”
An ensemble, the musical has no intermission and runs one hour and 28 minutes.
“It goes really fast,” Christopher said.
On the stage at Geneva High School, the underground tube station set has taken shape thanks to the work of the dedicated crew members. The background of the set is a long wall that looks as if it were made of red bricks.
That set serves a pivotal role in the musical.
“They take an underground tube station, and turn it into Wonderland,” Christopher said.
And the backdrop of World War II is felt.
“You have the elements of war,” Christopher said. “So, like when we do the Jabberwocky scene, they have guns. And they have the helmets, because war is ever-present here.”
The musical also shows how young people are affected by war.
“They don’t choose to have war,” Christopher said.
The character of Alice Spencer/Alice is played by freshman Natalie Trask, 14.
She likes her role in the musical.
“She is a lot more detailed,” Trask said of Alice, noting the character has a lot of development. “The whole show is her growing up, basically.”
Trask likes that her character stays herself.
“I really like it, I think it tells a great story,” she said of the musical, noting it has a lot of important themes.
Trask is no stranger to the stage, having been in 13 other shows at the Ashtabula Arts Center such as “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” playing the role of Mrs. Potts, and “Beetlejuice Jr.” in the role of Barbara.
But Alice is her favorite role.
Kalem Gill, 16, a junior, plays Alice’s friend, Alfred Hallam, as well as the White Rabbit/March Hare. He has been in other roles at the high school, such as “Freaky Friday.”
“Alice by Heart” is his favorite production.
“I just love all the characters and the meaning of the show,” he said. “I like how it can be funny, sad, a mixture of feelings.”
He said the hardest part for him in the musical has been changing his acting between his two characters, from being “slow and sick” for Alfred to being “fast and in a rush” for the White Rabbit.
Show times are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets will be available at the door. The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Alice By Heart Cast List
• Alice Spencer/Alice – Natalie Trask
• Alfred Hallam/White Rabbit/March Hare – Kalem Gill
• Red Cross Nurse/Queen of Hearts – Aeris Morris
• Harold Pudding/Mad Hatter – Trey Cunningham
• Tabatha/Cheshire Cat/Caterpillar 2 – Eva Pfeifer
• Dodgy/Duchess – Emily Zajaczkowski
• Clarissa/Queen of Diamonds – Ashley Kurt
• Nigel/Dormouse – Auggie Moore
• Angus/Caterpillar 1 – Luci Tognon
• Dr. Butridge/Jabberwocky/King of Hearts – Zachary Dunn
• Mock Turtle/Knave of Clubs – Cam Dungan
• Mock Mock Turtle/Knave of Spades – Breonna Glass
• Mock Mock Mock MockTurtle– Addy Sutherland
• Additional Caterpillars/Turtles/Characters: Cheyenne Stoltz, Claire Chillemi
Alice By Heart Technical Crews
• Set/Running Crew: Anna Decker*, Katrina Powell, Trey Cunningham+
• Set Painting: Cherry Downs*, Cameron Cycyk, Maddy Pickering,
Olivia Bailey
• Costumes: Emma Strmac*, Bell Welton, Christian Meeks, Peyton Wood
• Props: Sarah Mace*; Joey Talladino; Cambri Hitzel; Keishla Heglund-Ortiz
• Sound: Ava Balazs*, Anthony Mace
• Make-up and Hair: Chloe Dodge*, Lily Dungan,
Zaiyla Barlow, Lillian Doering, Natalie Kobus, Conner Wright
• Lights: Ellie Burns, Eric Zieske
• Publicity: Lea MacMichael
• Stage Management: Mrs. Olivia Snyder
*Denotes Crew Leader
+Denotes Consultant
