Throughout his career, Frank Wildhorn has built a good portion of his success by taking popular stories and making them even more compelling using his signature style of music, a modern twist, a fresh perspective — or, more often — all of the above.
Think about it. There’s Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Count of Monte Cristo, on and on — up to and including a new look at the familiar story of “Alice in Wonderland” in a musical (with music by Wildhorn and lyrics by Jack Murphy) known as Wonderland.
“We’re going to make such fantastic use of all the attributes this unique theater offers,”
~ Gabriel Barre, Director
Back in the earliest days of its inception, Wildhorn imagined the cast including Avril Lavigne as Alice, Marvin Gaye as the caterpillar, Carlos Santana as the Cheshire Cat, Pink as the Mad Hatter and either Aretha Franklin or Bette Midler as the Queen of Hearts.
Talk about a must-see show!
Frank Wildhorn has brought numerous musicals to life including The Count of Monte Cristo, Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Wonderland. Pictured here with Jennifer Paulson-Lee (the choreographer) and Crystal Kellogg (who plays Alice).
Like all projects, Wonderland has been through several iterations since Wildhorn was brainstorming in the early days of the project. A short stint on Broadway followed, then a re-write and revision by Gabriel Barre, Jennifer Paulson-Lee and Wildhorn that was produced at New York University. And now Wonderland has been molded into a production so big, so spectacular, only the Tuacahn Amphitheatre can hold it all.
“We’re going to make such fantastic use of all the attributes this unique theater offers,” Barre said. “It’s become something we couldn’t hope to parallel at NYU.”
Based on the writings of Lewis Carroll, this contemporary version of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” was born out of Wildhorn’s fictional explanation for the defunct elevator on the 46th floor of his New York City high-rise.
“My kids would always ask me why the elevator didn’t work and I would make up stories, because I just do that,” Wildhorn said. “Eventually I told them that if it worked, we would get off and be in Wonderland.”
The embryotic idea included a modern-day Alice with a precocious 11-year-old daughter living in New York City. Alice — pictured in Wildhorn’s mind as
Frank Wildhorn told stories to his children about the elevator opening on to wonderland.
someone similar to Carrie from Sex and the City — is fighting to find her inner child amid the cynical New York City lifestyle.
Pushed to her limits by the demands of motherhood, a failing marriage and an intense work environment, Alice’s connection to reality is skewed when, in a dream, she aligns herself with the title character from Alice in Wonderland and works through a variety of obstacles including a Cheshire Cat with a Latin flair, the delightfully dotty Queen of Hearts and the malicious Mad Hatter.
“It’s a no-brainer fit for the Tuacahn audience,” Wildhorn said. “It has a lot of hit songs; it’s very family friendly.”
After seeing what New York University did with the production back in February 2020, Wildhorn said he fell even more in love with the project.
“Theater is really an opportunity that demands the use of imagination…when you’re watching it,”
~ Gabriel Barre, Director
“It had a twinkle in its eye and a wonderful humor,” he said.
Now, the entire show seems to be shimmering.
Showcasing a cast of roughly 36 actors and directed by Barre, who has worked with Wildhorn on numerous projects over the years, each member of the ensemble enjoys distinction with their own character line. Some of the faces are familiar to the world of Wonderland, like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, while others are new, like the White Knight.
“You can tell from the glee in the actors’ faces and the attention they put into the material how much they’re enjoying it,” Barre said.
The cast and production team working through rehearsals in the Entrada dance studio.
One such cast member is Lexie Dorsett Sharp, tackling the iconic role of the Queen of Hearts.
Torn between her excitement at being part of a new concept of Wonderland and her amazement at the beautiful surroundings of Tuacahn, Sharp is reveling in the entire process.
“I’m sure the red rocks are old hat for people who live here, but it’s absolutely stunning,” Sharp said. “Coming from New York City to here, it’s eye opening and beautiful.”
Sinking her teeth into her “huge comedic role” as the Queen of Hearts, Sharp said she loves that her character is “over the top” and can’t wait to share the music, like her song, “Off With Their Heads,” with audiences.
“I’ve had a lot of freedom to find the role, which gives a great sense of ownership,” Sharp said. “She’s very absurd in a lot of ways, but it’s all in great fun.”
Likewise, Barre said part of his enjoyment in the process with Wonderland at Tuacahn is the depth and breadth of imagination it allows.
“Theater is really an opportunity that demands the use of imagination; not just when you’re creating theater, but when you’re watching it,” Barre said. “The audience’s imagination is a key ingredient and we’re using that to take the audience on a journey.”
The journey takes place May 13 to Oct. 21 in the Tuacahn Amphitheatre alongside Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, along with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story happening inside the Hafen Theatre. For details and tickets log onto TUACAHN.ORG or call the box office at 435-652-3300.