Alice’s Adventure at City Lit

Alice’s Adventure’s Under Ground
City Lit Theater

By Devlyn Camp
City Lit’s newest production, Christopher Hampton’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, is an episodic play that hints at what imagination looks like when played out in an artist’s mind. From the start, the audience gets a look into the pensive, dramatic and inspired mind of Lewis Carroll, using pieces and parts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Five actors tell the story as 32 characters, including Carroll himself. Each scene is a snippet of the familiar story working its way through Carroll’s thoughts to his page. Through unexpected entrances and goofy physical gags, every prop and piece of furniture is an inspiration to his story, leaving no teacup or table unscathed.

Although it must be quite easy to be silly in the fantastical scenes, the five actors deliver dramatic and believable stories. They then quickly turn around to the next scene and send off one punch line after another as a completely different character. Lee Wichman, playing the March Hare among other characters, steals his scenes with his quirky, crazy facial expressions and songs of soup. His frequent scene partners Edward Kuffert and Morgan McCabe also keep the comedic ball rolling in their ridiculous voices and zany physical comedy.

The play is directed by Terry McCabe, who has been directing around the city for over 30 years. McCabe sets the stage wonderfully for Carroll’s imagination to piece its story together. Only a one-act piece, there’s plenty of time in a theatre-goer’s schedule to catch this intelligent, funny trip down the rabbit hole.

Tickets are $25 and are available at www.citylit.org
or by calling (773) 293-3682 

September 2 – October 9
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM
Sundays at 3:00 PM
and Sep. 29/Oct. 6 at 8:00 PM