Frank Wildhorn talks "WONDERLAND"- Page 4

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 2:53am

I had some friends see it tonight that also saw the original Tampa production, and they did say it wasa vast improvement and that the story made much more sense. He also said Kate was a more enjoyable Hatter, but I'm sure that is pretty subjective. I'm seeing it Sunday night and will post some thoughts then!

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:06am

Darren Ritchie talks WONDERLAND-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=199715

Janet Dacal talks WONDERLAND-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=199716
(note to BWW editors: 'Decal'? seriously?)

[philly03]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 2:01pm

I hate when Janet does interviews - it all seems so scripted to me, or like she's not enthuased to be there.

Who knows, maybe she's in just as much shock as a lot of people that she's playing Alice in Wonderland.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/9/11 at 11:16am

*sigh* it's always with the anti-Janet place with you, isn't it? :)

Here, have an interview with The Shindle instead then...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz0wK2-N36I
(I *love* how she uses "move my body through space" instead of "dancing." hee.) (No shots of costumes or b-roll, though.)

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 1/9/11 at 11:23pm

Wow - it's tough to quantify just how much better this show is than its first Tampa incarnation. I saw tonight's performance and was blown away by several parts of the show - unfortunately, I can't say that Janet was one of them, because she was out for both shows today. I can, however, say that Morgan James, Janet's understudy was phenomenal and brought the leading lady to Wonderland that it was missing the first time I saw it. I'm hoping to get back to see it again while it's still in Tampa to give Dacal a chance to show what she does with Alice, but again, I was floored by Morgan James. She blew the roof off the Straz Center.

Overall, the changes to the show were vast improvements. I liked Snelson's hatter the first time, but the Shindle Hatter is a VERY different character and fit into the story much better this time. Now the Hatter is more of a "foil" for Alice, representing all of the negativity that Alice has between her husband and Chloe before going to Wonderland - she personifies all those actions, which made the need for Alice to defeat her in the end so much more poignant.

Karen Mason continued to bring down the house. Her part is smaller, but the standing ovation she got was just as long as before. Darren Ritchie and his boy-band compadres were great, and still entertained the audience with their schtick. In the second act now all the "good-guy" characters joined Jack in some boy band action, and they were hilarious.

Projections looked great - Hilferty's costumes were already amazing and they just got better this go around. The set was 100x better than last year's.

Kind of a rambling post...while there are still some bumps in the story, comparing it with where it's been, I was floored by tonight's show. I certainly hope that Janet has stepped up her performance to meet the level of this new show, and was very pleasantly surprised by Morgan James.

If any of you that are curious about the show have questions about other changes, I'll be happy to try to answer them :)

Overall, I'd give this show a chance if you can go with an open mind, putting aside some of the negative things you may have heard about it in earlier incarnations. Shindle and Ritchie both mentioned the additional 70 pages of changes they got after tonight's show for next week, and if the creative team is moving in the same direction they've been moving since the earlier versions, they're only making this show better. I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised (and I do have to say that this comes from somebody who is not generally a Wildhorn fan).

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 1/9/11 at 11:30pm

If you're interested in the curtain...it's actually a projection. Looks like parchment page and has various Alice in Wonderland illustrations that appear/disappear on it.

http://twitpic.com/3ooe6n Updated On: 1/9/11 at 11:30 PM

[philly03]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 2:37am

Morgan James is a phenomenal vocalist, I'm jealous you got to see her. Did they put her in a whig or let her go with blonde hair (assuming she still has blonde hair?), since they have been trying to emphasize "A NEW ALICE."

Also nice curtain - the curtain was cooler last year, but this one is still nice!

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 6:30am

Morgan was in a wig, it was a similar color to Dacal's hair, but longer and she wore it down.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/16/11 at 11:40am

s'more photos...



(ooh, "Go With the Flow" is a larger number now!)

Hilferty with the "Welcome to Wonderland" dresses:



and...the new Queen costume? What is this one? I like it!



and, for those who have seen the 2011 incarnation, is this Dacal posing with Shindle's costumes?



The caption says 'her dressing room,' but Alice has no costume changes?
Yahoo! News photos

[philly03]

Posted: 1/16/11 at 11:45am

Thanks for posting... The Queen wears that dress during "Off With their Heads!" only, it makes a heart from the hips to the legs.

Janet's with Shindle's first act costume, and to the extreme right is Karen Mason's "Mrs. Everheart" costume. The Act II Hatter costume is to the left on the backwall!
Updated On: 1/16/11 at 11:45 AM

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/16/11 at 12:01pm

Thanks! Shindle's costumes are gorgeous- I am in love with that Act I dress!!

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 2:20pm

Scared of you, Kate Shindle. Scared of you...





'Wonderland' First Look: Kate Shindle is mad as a hatter in new Broadway show -- EXCLUSIVE Updated On: 1/20/11 at 02:20 PM

[goldenboy]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 3:15pm

Caught Wonderland in Tampa January 15 Sat Evening Performance.

I did not want to see an Alice in Wonderland Musical because everytime I have seen Alice in Wonderland.. it always felt disjointed; whether the animated TV musical version in the 70's with Sammy Davis Jr, or Made for TV musical, an English release some years back or any version of Alice In Wonderland.It always seems disjointed. And somewhat pointless.

Alice falls through a hole and meet this weird person and that weird person and this. person and then wakes up. Okay.

But I caught Wildhorn's Bonnie and Clyde and was very impressed by it. It was a compelling piece of musical theatre which I whole heartedly recommend. So I went
against my initial misgivings and bought a ticket to Wonderland.

I was impressed with the scrim, the sets and the projections.
Most of the choreography and most of the costumes.(did not like the white rabbit costume or Mad Hatter costumes) Spectatacle wise there was bang for your buck. Yes there is book trouble and some other trouble.

So we are introduced to a modern day Alice--grown up with a child and soon to be divorced husband named Jack. Alice falls asleep while reading Alice in Wonderland to her daughter Chloe (played by a wonderfully impressive Carly Rose Sonenclar) and meets the people in Wonderland.

Problem one: Alice, played by Janet Decal. Janet's Alice isn't very likeable. She is negative and bitchy. Now another actress say Kristen Chenowith or a young Bernadette Peters or Christine Baranksi can play negative and bitchy and be likeable. Janet is blessed with some pipes but for God's sake find a leading lady that can play bitchy overwrought in a likeable manner that we can root for. Janet Decal is not it. Who cares about this bitchy
Alice...even if she finds her inner child later in the show?

Problem Two: As usual, like all of the aforementioned Alice in Wonderland this one too is episodic and choppy. It's a built in problem that the show is simply shackled with.

Problem Three: Kate Shindle as the Mad Hatter. I have liked Kate Shindle in other shows--say Legally Blonde. The character of the Mad Hatter is underdeloped. The director and she need to work on her character. She is the major evil nemesis but she simply looks like a tall handsome women in a red dress and top hat. The show comes to a screaching lull in act one when we are introduced to her character. She is not evil enough. She is not scary. She is not funny. Is she supposed to be evil or funny? Pick one and go there. She is not clever enough. If she is evil for god's sake do something with her make up and costume to make her more evil. Long black nails. Horns, A witche's nose. A tall
handsome woman in a red dress is not evil. Not with an undeveloped character. She does have a great number in Act Two but it doesn't negate the underdeveloped characterization.

The good: Characterizations of the very funny Jose Llano as EL Gato, E Clayton Cornelius as the Caterpillar and Karen Mason as the Queen. All of their numbers shine. The wonderful Carly Rose Sonenclar as Chloe and the handsome and talented Darren Richie as Jack and the White Knight.


Act Two: In some ways I liked Act Two better than Act one in spite of it being disjointed and confusing. It is more clever than act one and tried to diverge from the blocked in episodic nature of Act One.

It opens nicely with Lewis Carol confronting our Alice with what he had in mind with Alice in Wonderland and gives her some interesting spiritual advice about not letting go of her childlike wonderment. A bit preachy but not bad and kind of haunting. For a moment, it is clever and it works. And at least we have a semblance of a reason for sitting there. But then Lewis Carol disappears.

But then ACT Two: problem one. Lewis Carol erases Chloe's Memory and then Chloe doesn't remember mommy.

But then Mommy runs into Chloe; Chlose doesn't know her but then she sings a song to Chloe and within two minutes into the song, she remembers mommy. WTF?? My theatre partner and I looked at eachother to say.... that's it? That's all it took? A very odd moment in a musical that needs to looked at

Kind of wish Lewis Carol would appear more in Act Two. Darren Ritchie as the White Knight and Lewis Carol has some great moments in Act Two
.

It ends in a happily every after fashion where Alice realizes she has always loved Jack and wants to keep the family together.
It ends as it should end.. Happily.

Overall, not a bad musical for night in the theatre. I've seen worse. Not bad for the boonies but a problematic one that needs some work prior to New York. I

Will it run? Who knows. Broadway is so unpredictable these days. People are buying tickets to 6 year old Wicked and that was panned by 5 out of 6 critics. People are buying tickets to the not well received Adams Family and the problematic Spiderman. Kids should like it.

In its present state the NY critics may murder it.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 3:19pm

yes, yes, heard you the first three times you posted that.

btw, her last name's spelled Dacal.



eta: more photos!


Photo Coverage: Exclusive Sneak Preview - WONDERLAND - A New Alice. A New Musical. on Stage! Updated On: 1/20/11 at 03:19 PM

[goldenboy]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 3:34pm

Anakela. Just what is your connection to the production?

It seems like you keep promoting it. Posting pictures and interviews?

I post my review because I would like the feedback to drum up a conversation. Not everyone reads each and every post on Wonderland. I never read this post until today.

I also post it to help the creatives should someone sneak on the board and seek what people really think.

If you are indeed connected to the show as it seems you are
(posting articles and pictures) share my review with the powers that be.

It may help them to save their show. Or you could just scoff at constructive criticism and hide your head in Mr. Wildhorn.

(who in my opinion has a hit in Bonnie and Clyde and an uphill battle with this one)

[philly03]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 4:56pm

^^ Frank has better things to do then read this board. He's opening a new musical in Korea as we speak ("Tears of Heaven," book by Phoebe Hwang who left WONDERLAND to work on Tears), and has planned productions of WONDERLAND (obviously) on Broadway, Bonnie & Clyde, and Camille Claudel's international premiere!

That being said, posting the same review over & over will get no one any where.

I caught Spider-Man yesterday... WONDERLAND is in trouble, that makes it look like it's an amateur production... the only saving thing is Frank's score. Most the creative & producers (obviously these folks) think they have a huge hit on their hands - in talkbacks, talking to them, etc.

goldenboy: Why didn't you talk to the creatives in person if you saw the show ?

[philly03]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 5:10pm

This is the show's finale, during the last verse of "Finding Wonderland" the other characters walk out on the back wall during "ordinary magic happens..."

They also shot some video footage, not positive if they're releasing a video or not (Tampa's World Premiere footage got pulled from websites/etc, but it's still on this website... it was truly awful & I believe a dress rehearsal. Looked like a bootleg!!!)

[philly03]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 2:07pm

Jack Murphy, lyricist and co-author of WONDERLAND, talks about writing lyrics for the theatre and what to expect from the show.

Also included is video footage of "One Knight" from this year.
Jack Murphy talks WONDERLAND