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announces the 2009-10 production
Dress Rehearsal Photos: The North Hills Junior High School will present “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” Thursday, Jan. 28 – Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Shows begin at 7 p.m. in the junior high auditorium, 55 Rochester Road in Ross Township. The cost is $3 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office at 412-318-1469 or purchased in person at the district’s Activities Office, located in the senior high school, from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additionally, tickets will be sold from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18th, in the junior high auditorium lobby and beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the evening of each performance. Auditorium doors open at 6:30 p.m. for seating. All attendees are asked to use the library entrance. Join Alice’s madcap adventures in Wonderland as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with the Tweedles, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game! Roles are plentiful, including three Cheshire Cats and dozens of other wonderfully wacky characters. This fast-paced stage adaptation of Alice in Wonderland features updated dialogue and new arrangements of such classic Disney songs as “I’m Late,” “The Un-birthday Song” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Visit Music Theatre International's Broadway Junior website to learn more about Disney's Alice in Wonderland Junior.
The Story & Film Background and Plot Summary Usually considered the most famous children’s books written in English (as well as distinguished examples of satire and verbal wit), Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking Glass (1871) had fascinated Walt Disney since his youth. The stories had been the source of Walt’s first major cartoon series, beginning with the 1923 short Alice’s Wonderland, which place a live action girl in a cartoon world. In 1934, Disney sent Mickey Mouse Thru the Mirror in one of the most energetic and visually clever shorts of the decade. Considering a feature-length Alice in Wonderland, Walt and his team confronted a significant problem: converting a beloved literary property to film inevitably disappoints some fans of the original books. (This challenge would also face Disney’s adaptations of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, and P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins). Walt later expressed another storytelling challenge: that Alice had no real plight or danger other than being continually confronted by confusing, bizarre and annoying characters and circumstances. Without a genuine threat or compelling quest, Alice lacked what he called “heart.” Walt’s disappointment was probably inevitable, for the same reasons that Alice has daunted every filmmaker who has tried to adapt it—at least a dozen since 1903. Although the story is a dream filled with nonsensical verse and fantastic characters, the books’ themes are of growing up, death and extinction, and the arbitrariness of moral and social authority. Despite these challenges, Alice in Wonderland was approved for production in 1949, and the finished film contains some of Disney’s most fantastic art design (influenced by the style of Mary Blair), zany animation (showcasing the work of Ward Kimball) and memorable songs (“I’m Late!,” “The Unbirthday Song”).On a perfect summer day in the park, Alice daydreams while her sister Mathilda lectures from a book and children play games nearby (Alice in Wonderland/ In a World of My Own). A White Rabbit suddenly hurries past Alice, who follows him to the edge of his hole, anxious to know where he is going (I’m Late!). She ponders Mathilda’s advice before jumping into the dark tunnel and encountering many strange creatures along the way down (Very Good Advice). Alice lands in front of a talking door, but is too big to follow the White Rabbit through it. The Doorknob counsels Alice to drink from a bottle then eat a cookie, which makes her sink and grow. After a good cry, Alice shrinks small enough to swim through the keyhole. On the other side, Wonderland creatures race in circles (The Caucus Race). The White Rabbit suddenly reappears and leads Alice down into twin jabbering clowns, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, who teach her some manners (How D’ye Do and Shake Hands). Alice escapes the Tweedles and offers to fetch the White Rabbit’s gloves from inside his house. She sneaks a bite of a cookie inside and grows very large, getting stuck in the house. As the White Rabbit prepares to burn down his house, Alice eats a carrot from his garden, shrinks very small and hides among a patch of rude flowers (The Golden Afternoon). A bubble-blowing Caterpillar tries to cheer her up with a song (Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah) and a cookie, which returns her to a normal size. The Cheshire Cat directs Alice to the Mad Hatter’s tea party—a wild game of musical chairs (The Unbirthday Song).Alice follows the White Rabbit to the Royal Rose Garden, where the Royal Cardsmen busily redecorate (Painting the Roses Red). The evil Queen of Hearts storms in and orders the Cardsmen’s heads chopped off (Painting the Roses Red—Reprise). The Queen refuses to let Alice leave until she plays a game of Simon Says. Alice wins, making the Queen even angrier. The King of Hearts suggests a trial for Alice, but ridiculous witnesses only make matters worse. The Queen orders the Royal Cardsmen to chop off Alice’s head. Alice defends herself against her accusers and reaffirms her identity (Whooooo Are Youuuuu?). Back in the park with Mathilda, Alice wakes up from her dream, but discovers the White Rabbit’s watch in her pocket (Alice in Wonderland—Finale, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah—Bows). The Cast
The Flowers:
Golden Afternoon Chorus:
Clockworks Dancers:
Royal Cardsmen:
Wonderland Characters:
The Tech Crew
The Production Staff
Check
back to this section frequently for updated information. If
you have any questions, see Mr.
Cloonan or Ms. McKinney (Chorus Room A100). Schedule for This Week:
Forms & Handouts
Click on the form below to open the document you need. All forms are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to view the file.
Past NHJHS Musicals
Last Updated: 06/08/2010 |
Cast Party Permission Slip (pdf)
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