Submitted by Erica Irving of the Montgomery Blair High School CAPPIES Theatre Review Group

What do you do on a rainy day? Read a book? Solve a crossword puzzle? How about falling through your looking glass for a game of croquet?

In Bishop O’Connell High School’s production of Alice in Wonderland, the heroine chose option three, meeting a parade of unusual characters on her rainy-day journey through a magical world. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1864 as favor for a young friend. The book quickly took root in popular culture, with Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria among its earliest fans and generations of children following suit. Carroll’s story has spawned countless film and stage adaptations; Bishop O’Connell chose a version taken directly from his text.

Rose Brand personified youthful mischievousness, adopting a fidgety stance and childlike voice that made her believable as the “eight-and-a-half years old exactly” Alice. Her engaging immaturity was most notable in her encounters with the imperious Red Queen (Celina Ces) and scatterbrained White Queen (Cordelia Weiss). While some actors struggled to maintain their accents, both Ces and Weiss augmented their strong comedic timing with solid British dialects. Another amusing Wonderland duo, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, was brought to life by Michael Holland and Kristin Elliot. While some actors looked bored during longer scenes, Holland and Elliot’s well-coordinated movements and clownish facial expressions invigorated the second act. Joey Long also provided abundant energy as the Mad Hatter, leaping about the stage to hilarious effect.

Bishop O’Connell’s production also featured bold portrayals of Wonderland’s famous talking animals. As the Cheshire Cat, Stephen Benedicto, epitomized the integration of animal physicality into a convincing character. His combination of gymnastic tricks, slinky movements, and a purr-like whisper made the Cheshire Cat a particularly memorable figure. Unlike some actors, Sandra Callahan did not allow eccentric mannerisms to overwhelm her portrayal of the perpetually nervous White Rabbit. Similarly, Cara “Bean” Brennan used her shaking “paws” and wild eyed expressions to capture the March Hare’s mounting insanity.

The actors were supported by excellent technical work. The sets, designed by Katy McGinley, included such interesting and off-beat elements as a glowing forest. Scene changes ran quite smoothly throughout the evening. Kathryn Elliot, Aileen Mooney, and Ian McGowen designed an impressive number of costumes, ranging from Alice’s elaborate frock and pinafore to the caterpillar’s whimsical segmented jumpsuit. Ces, Callahan, and Brennan’s makeup transformed the actors’ human faces into surreal visions without hindering their expressiveness.

Even though skies were clear last Saturday night, Bishop O’Connell’s production of Alice in Wonderland was a sunny solution for rainy day blues.