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 inspired by Lewis Carroll's famous book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It has music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater, and the story (called the "book") was written by Sater and Jessie Nelson. The show was first performed by a youth group at London's Royal National Theatre in 2012.

Story of the Musical

The musical takes place in London in 1941. This was during World War II, right after the London Blitz. The Blitz was a time when German planes bombed London heavily.

Alice's Shelter Life

Teenager Alice Spencer's life is turned upside down. She and her best friend, Alfred, must hide in a subway station for safety. Alfred is very sick with tuberculosis. He is kept away from everyone else. Alice wants to cheer him up. She asks him to escape with her into their favorite book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She wants them to imagine going "down the rabbit hole" into Wonderland.

A Book Torn Apart

Nurse Cross is in charge of the shelter. She rips Alice's book because Alice visited Alfred. But Alice is strong-willed. She says she knows the story "by heart" and will read it to him anyway.

Entering Wonderland

Slowly, the people in the shelter start to become characters from the book. Alfred himself turns into the White Rabbit. As Alice goes through Wonderland, she changes parts of the story. She spends too much time with the White Rabbit. She even forgets a whole chapter!

Wonderland Adventures

Alice gets advice from the Cheshire Cat. She is teased by two Caterpillars. She dances with the White Rabbit. The Duchess scolds her for growing up too fast. Alice also plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts. These are all twists on the original Alice in Wonderland scenes.

Alfred's Struggle

Alfred gets tired of being the White Rabbit. He wants to be himself again, back in the bunker with Alice. He tries to make Alice finish the story early. He even teases her as the March Hare. Alice tells him she hates him. Before she can say sorry, Alfred is taken to a special sick ward.

Breaking Free

During a trial in Wonderland, Alice stands up for herself. Alfred joins her. With help from Tabatha, who is the Cheshire Cat, they break out of Wonderland. They return to the bunker. Alfred and Alice tell each other how they feel. Then, sadly, Alfred dies. The show ends with Alice accepting Alfred's death. She tries to be hopeful about life with everyone else in the bunker.

How the Musical Was Made

Alice by Heart was first asked for by London's Royal National Theatre in 2012. Youth groups across the U.K. performed it. A group called Flying High performed it at the National's Lyttelton Theatre on June 25, 2012.

Workshops and Development

The musical was worked on in different workshops. A workshop is like a practice run where creators try out ideas.

• Theatre Aspen in Colorado held a workshop in July 2014.
• MCC Theater had another workshop in December 2015.
• New York Stage and Film & Vassar presented a workshop in July 2018.

Director Jessie Nelson said they wanted to show "the power of a book." She wanted to explore what the story meant to Alice.

Off-Broadway Premiere

The musical had its first big performance Off-Broadway in New York City. This was at the Newman Mills Theatre at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. It opened in January 2019. The official opening was on February 26, and it ran until April 7, 2019.

Performances

The first major production of Alice by Heart was announced on March 21, 2018. It was part of MCC's first season in their new theater. The actors were announced on October 23.

The show opened Off-Broadway on February 26, 2019, at the MCC Theater. Preview shows started on January 30. The show was supposed to close on March 31 but was extended to April 7. Jessie Nelson directed it. Rick and Jeff Kuperman did the dances. Edward Pierce designed the sets. Paloma Young designed the costumes. Bradley King designed the lighting.

Songs in the Musical

Off-Broadway Songs

• "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°

°These songs were not on the original cast recording.

Characters and Original Actors

• Kim Blanck played the Cheshire Cat in the last shows at MCC. This happened when Nkeki left to play Tina Turner in another show.

Awards and Recognitions

Original Off-Broadway Production

Music Recording

An album with the original cast's songs was released. It came out on June 28, 2019, through Sh-K-Boom Records. It reached number 5 on the US Cast Albums chart.

Book Version

A novel based on the musical was written by Steven Sater. It has the same name, Alice by Heart. It was published on February 4, 2020.