YCT gyres and gimbles in enchanting show

JOHN YI/YH The YCT paints the roses red

Something about the Yale Children's Theater (YCT) turns back the clock. You start to feel younger as soon as you enter; things begin to appear just as they did when you were a child. The small space appears cozy rather than cramped, the lack of seats well replaced by a nearby stack of carpet squares. The handprints on the wall are fascinating with their rainbows of color. An unaffected humor and childlike energy emanate from the script and cast, capturing two qualities that are essential to enthralling a younger crowd and delighting an older one.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland follows an outlined version of Lewis Carroll's classic. To this end, the performance presents the young Alice (Liz Wilson, TC '02) as a foil to her comedic Wonderland counterparts. Wilson tackles her role as one might expect, alternating primarily between the emotions of astonishment and affront so that the rest of the cast can best play off of her straight-man persona. Included in this cast of bizarre Wonderland creatures are all the perennial favorites: the Cheshire Cat (Keally DeWitt, SM '03), the Caterpillar (Jami Harrison, PC '03), the March Hare (Tania Galloni, LAW '02), and 15 other characters—all performed, remarkably enough, by a cast of only 11 actors. The plot follows Alice as she navigates through Wonderland, stopping to consume various shape-altering substances, pacify the diverse creatures she meets and then infuriates, and finally work towards escaping the confused land altogether.

The play allows limitless opportunities to enchant. Most of the characters are inherently comic, and the actors do an excellent job of playing up their roles. Elissa Yudofsky, ES '03, as the Mouse, exaggerates her mannerisms so skillfully that she seems right out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Yet she is not the only comedic presence in Wonderland. Mike Romano, PC '03, elicits more than a few laughs himself as the Mad Hatter, a character he has seemingly fashioned after one of the loud Canadians from Strange Brew. Many of the minor characters provide the most delightful moments in the per-formance: Adam Frank, BR '02, delivers his three small roles with inspired energy and an enchanting voice, and Kristin Urquiza, MC '03, as the Dormouse, becomes a hilarious narcoleptic onstage.

Yet it is the cast as a whole that achieves the most entertaining effects. Whenever Alice suffers some major bodily transformation, cast members positioned at different corners around the room fill the theater with haunting noises. When the characters onstage ask the audience to participate, the actors respond as well with either catcalls or encouragement—all delivered with appropriate joviality. The most effective scene comes when the whole cast gathers to declare verdict on the simultaneously hilarious and pitiful knave (Gabriel Freiman, SM '02). Under the direction of the snotty Queen of Hearts (Elana Arian, CC '03) and the excitable White Rabbit (Ja-Shukry Shia, JE '03), the scene comes to a well-orchestrated head, providing a fitting end to an already enjoyable performance.

In many respects, the theater space adds to the quality of the performance. The intimate atmosphere is essential to a production aimed at children, and it allows enough audience participation to hold the interests of even those with the shortest attention spans. The lighting in the YCT is minimal, however, and the dimness of an evening show does detract a bit. It makes one wish for a more vivid backdrop, brighter props—or perhaps just a few more lights focused on the actors. The playful gaudiness of many of the costumes counteract this, however, and the sunlight which illuminates afternoon performances alleviates the problem altogether.

The performance reaches a charming level of childish energy that speaks well of its first-time director Sarah Coppeto, BR '01. It is, however, aimed at a younger audience. From the director's initial request that the audience call out first names to the coloring book programs handed out at the end, one remains conscious that this performance is for those probably not yet old enough to be reading this review. While adults hoping to relive a bit of their childhood will find a lot to enjoy in this spirited performance, the Alice's Adventures will have its most powerful effect on its intended audience—the kids.

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