Alice by Heart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alice by Heart
Music	Duncan Sheik
Lyrics	Steven Sater
Book	Steven Sater with Jessie Nelson
Basis	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Productions	2019 Off-Broadway

Alice by Heart is a musical with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater, and a book by Sater with Jessie Nelson. The musical is inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and was originally presented by London's Royal National Theatre in 2012.

Plot overview

The musical takes place in 1941, in the debris after the London Blitz of World War II. The life of teen Alice Spencer is disrupted, as she and her best friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in a London underground tube station. However, Alfred, suffering from tuberculosis, is quarantined ("West of Words"). Alice urges him to escape with her into their cherished book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and travel down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. Nurse Cross, who is in charge of keeping everyone safe, rips Alice's book as a punishment for visiting Alfred, despite his quarantine. Alice becomes very defiant and declares she knows it "by heart" and will read to him anyway. The people hiding in the shelter slowly change into some of the book's characters, and Alfred himself changes into the White Rabbit ("Down the Hole"). During her time in Wonderland, Alice changes parts of the story, such as spending too much time with the White Rabbit and forgetting Chapter 3. She receives advice from the Cheshire Cat; gets teased by not one, but two, Caterpillars ("Chillin' the Regrets"); dances the Lobster Quadrille with the White Rabbit ("Those Long Eyes"); gets berated for growing up too fast by the Duchess; plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts ("Manage Your Flamingo") and other slight twists on scenes from Alice in Wonderland. Alfred tires of being the White Rabbit and wants to finish his life as himself, in the bunker with Alice, so he attempts to get her to finish the story early by taunting her as the March Hare. She tells him she hates him however before she can apologise he gets taken to ward D ("Sick to Death of Alice-ness"). During the trial ("Isn't It a Trial"/"Do You Think We Think You're Alice?"), Alice stands up for herself, and finally, Alfred joins her. With the help of Tabatha as the Cheshire Cat, they break out of Wonderland and back into the bunker ("I've Shrunk Enough"). Alfred and Alice then admit their feelings for each other before Alfred dies ("Afternoon"). The show ends with Alice finally accepting Alfred's death, and trying to be optimistic about life with everyone else in the bunker ("Winter Blooms").

Background

Alice by Heart was originally commissioned by London's Royal National Theatre in 2012, and was performed by youth companies around the U.K. IT was performed at the National's Lyttelton Theatre by Nottingham-based youth theatre group Flying High on June 25, 2012.[1] The musical was developed as a workshop by Theatre Aspen (Aspen, Colorado) in July 2014. The musical received an additional workshop by MCC Theater in December 2015. New York Stage and Film & Vassar at the Powerhouse Theater presented a workshop production in July 2018. Director Jessie Nelson noted: “We’re attempting to explore the power of a book and what the story has meant to this girl...”

The musical made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Newman Mills Theatre at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in January 2019, with an official opening on February 26, for a limited run until April 7, 2019.

Productions

The world premiere production of Alice by Heart was announced on March 21, 2018 as part of MCC's inaugural season in its new permanent two-venue off-Broadway home. Casting was announced on October 23. The production opened Off-Broadway on February 26, 2019 at the MCC Theater, following previews from January 30, with the closing set for April 7. The closing date was extended from March 31. It is directed by Jessie Nelson with choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman, sets by Edward Pierce, costumes by Paloma Young and lighting by Bradley King.

Musical numbers

Off-Broadway

• "West of Words" – Alice, Alfred, Tabatha & Company
• "Down the Hole" – Company
• "Still" – Alice & White Rabbit
• "Chillin' the Regrets" – Caterpillars, Alice & Company
• "The Key Is" – Alice, White Rabbit, Caterpillars & Company
• "So" – Magpie, Eaglet, Duck, Canary, Dodo & Pigeon°
• "Those Long Eyes" – Cheshire Cat, Alice & White Rabbit
• "Manage Your Flamingo" – Duchess & Company
• "Sick to Death of Alice-ness" – Mad Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse & Alice
• "Brillig Braelig" – Jabberwocky, Alice & Company
• "Some Things Fall Away" – Cheshire Cat
• "Your Shell of Grief" – Mock Turtles & Alice
• "Another Room in Your Head" – Alfred, Alice & Company
• "Isn't It a Trial?" – Queen of Hearts & Company
• "Do You Think We Think You're Alice?" – Company
• "I've Shrunk Enough" – Alice & Company
• "Still (Reprise)" – Alfred & Alice°
• "Afternoon" – Alice, Alfred & Company
• "Winter Blooms" – Alice, Cheshire Cat & Company
• "Down the Hole (Reprise)" – Company°

°Not included in the Original Cast Recording

Characters and original cast

• Kim Blanck portrayed the Cheshire Cat in the last shows in MCC when Nkeki left to play Tina Turner in the West End.

Awards and honors

Original Off-Broadway production

Recording

An original cast recording was released through Sh-K-Boom Records on June 28, 2019. It peaked at number 5 on the US Cast Albums chart.

Book

A novelization of the same name by Sater was published on February 4, 2020.