Reviews: Alice by Heart at DC International School
Written by Sasha Wendell of Falls Church High School
"It isn't that the dead don't talk, we've just forgotten how to listen." DC International's production of Alice By Heart reminds us that when the world collapses, imagination is often the last language left standing.
Inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice by Heart is a musical with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater. The show premiered at London's Royal National Theatre in 2012 and made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Newman Mills Theatre at MCC Theater in January 2019, opening officially on Feb. 26 for a limited run through April 7, 2019.
Set amidst the London Blitz during World War II, the musical follows Alice, a teenager whose life is abruptly transformed by war. She and her friend, Alfred, are forced into an underground tube station for shelter. When Alfred falls ill with tuberculosis and is quarantined, Alice invites him to return with her into their cherished book and down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. Their journey becomes both a literal and metaphorical passage, blurring the boundaries between memory, fantasy, and lived experience. Through its reinterpretation of Carroll's iconic characters and themes, the musical explores the complexities of first love, the inevitability of loss, and the often-fragile strategies by which we learn to move forward in the aftermath of devastation.
Sofia Warfield as Alice showcased Alice's emotional character development with professionalism. Warfield's stunning vocals paired with her innate sense of self made for a captivating lead. Her voice was consistently strong, continuing to belt even when being lifted upside down. As Alice's terminally ill best friend, Alfred (Caroline Hutchins), commanded the stage with intensity and emotion. Hutchins switched from the deathly ill Alfred to the perpetually late White Rabbit to the harsh March Hare effortlessly, fully embodying each of her characters while maintaining the connection that ties all of them together. Hutchins and Warfield displayed the relationship between Alfred and Alice with ease, making the love that the two had for each other very clear. The Queen of Hearts, played by Winnie Centofanti, was a highlight of the show. Centofanti's strong presence and characterization added to her powerful and dynamic vocals exhibited in her showstopping song: "Isn't It a Trial?"
Centofanti brought sparks of comedy into a dark show, lightening serious scenes.
The costumes (Chloe Moore, Isis Isobella Jarvis, Axl Moonsammy-Gray, Taylor Bandera) helped to set the distressed scene of the show. Characters displayed patches, and minimal pieces allowed for the actors to easily convey their characters. In addition to the costumes, the effective lighting (Aurora Harris, Darby Francis, Caroline Ferry) utilized colors like green to represent grief and reds to emphasize heavier and more intense moments, highlighting and supporting the actors' emotions.
Alice by Heart suggests that the stories we cling to are not a retreat from reality but a means of enduring it. The musical is a potent reminder that imagination can be a lifeline when the world above is falling apart. Anyone who gets the chance to fall down the rabbit hole of DC International School's production of Alice by Heart is lucky, indeed.
Written by Audrey Lanter of South County High School
A few stories gently pull you in; others reach out, grab your hand, and pull you right down the rabbit hole. Alice by Heart at DC International School choose the second path and whirled the audience from a claustrophobic wartime bunker into Wonderland stitched together from music, memory, and the desperate need to believe in something brighter.
Inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", Alice by Heart is a musical that takes the audience down the rabbit hole to help the two lead characters escape the harsh reality of living during World War ll. It developed from a commission by London's National Theatre then later debuted as an Off-Broadway show in 2019.
As we went down the rabbit hole, our guide Alice played by Sofia Warfield showed us how to balance the reality of two worlds with many fantastical twists and vocals that carried delicate and haunting melodies with clarity and emotion. As the show progressed and she more immersed herself into Wonderland, we got to see her navigate Alice's feelings of fear, excitement, and hurt while also balancing her own emotions she was dealing with. In the song "Afternoon", Alice said her final goodbye to her best friend Alfred who was going to die. Her execution of emotion and deep sadness created a gut-wrenching performance everyone in the audience felt.
Caroline Hutchins who played Alfred was another figure that helped us see the tear in the stitching between Wonderland and reality. As Alice and Alfred went down the rabbit hole, Alfred portrayed the white rabbit who was always running out of time. As Alice went insane, Caroline executed the desperate need of Alfred who was trying to get Alice to see the truth that he was going to die. Her impressive vocal range stood tall on its own and when mixed with Sofia's it was a beautiful moment of pure real emotion on the stage.
Another character that stood out was the Queen of Hearts played by Winnie Centofanti. Her portrayal of the mean and scary evil queen was incredible. Her vocals also helped her build her character with lots of belts and growls that helped her dominate the stage. The Queen of Hearts costume was big and grand when she strutted onto the stage. The costume crew consisted of Taylor Bandera, Isis Isobella Jarvis, Axl Moonsammy-Gray, and Chloe Moore who picked costumes for each character that reflected who their Wonderland character was while they were in the bunker. In the second act of the show, Alfred and Alice both had on clothing with polka dots which resembled their relationship and deep connection through clothing.
The choreography in this show was very impressive. Choreographed by students Charlotte Williams and Caroline Hutchins, the choreography was very useful and used up the whole stage the aisles. Down The Hole included multiple lifts of Alice and Alfred that were very well done and looked very pleasing on the eyes. Each number helped to drive the characters and the audience further into Wonderland.
With the dreamlike world and heartfelt story telling, Alice by Heart at DC International School showed us that "The Key Is" the power of imagination to guide us through even the darkest of times and and never losing your heart.