Just out of the first preview...
This show has two things going for it:
1) it's not as bad as Spiderman
1) Kate Shindle
First and foremost it takes forever for the "plot" to kick in. The first 45 minutes of act 1 are all exposition. We're introduced to Alice, who's pleasant enough but she has no conflict, nothing to fight for until the end of the act. Most of act 1 is a parade of supporting characters who each sing a number than get wheeled off. All these supporting characters are infinitely more interesting than Alice, mind you, who's written to be completely bland.
Unfortunately, the show doesn't improve when the plot kicks in because it's lame. The dialogue is amateurish, the jokes are awful, and the references to other shows are neither funny nor original (can we PLEASE put a moratorium on shows parodying the end of Rose's Turn???). The jokes aren't clever or original- they're cheap, sophomoric laughs involving bad puns and product placement (the Iphone, Droid, Blackberry, and All State all get a mention in act 1). Also unnecessary are the snide references to the animated Disney film, which is infinitely better than what's onstage here.
The second act has more plot but it makes little sense, particularly a scene where Alice seemingly meets Lewis Carrol. Another odd bit of "plot" involves Alice stumbling upon her alter ego (guided there by the Lewis Carrol wannabe, of course). The big conflict is wrapped up too quickly.
Janet Dacal has neither the voice nor personality to carry the show. She's totally lost at sea, and never plays up the camp. Part of it is the writing, but she doesn't seem to understand it's a camp show. Nor did Darren Ritchie, who's playing this like straight drama. He's also saddled with a horrible act 2 number that's supposed to be a Backstreet Boys parody. Together the two of them have no chemistry, and their voices aren't all that great.
Thank god for Kate Shindle, who seems to understand the material and just camps it up. She's the only saving grace in this mess and the only times the show is mildly diverting is when she's onstage. She took a crappy role and had fun with it. And my god...her VOICE. It's bad when the supporting character has a much better voice than the lead.
For a Wildhorn score, it's surprisingly tuneless. Even when his scores are awful, you usually leave the theater with a song stuck in your head. Not the case here. The lyrics are awful, as they always are in his shows.
The best this show could hope for is to fly under the radar, with the critics and press occupied with Spiderman.
Updated On: 3/21/11 at 10:59 PM