Alice in Wonderland: Review

I went to the play on Saturday night as I was in Sacramento. Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto is a 45 minutes long play. When I walked into the theater, I saw a lot of family with young kids. I was worried if I have chosen a wrong play to watch. But after the play started, my worry has gone. The story started at a quick pace, when Alice follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole and is transported to the land of tea parties and talking cards. The atmosphere is interactive; at the same times Alice asks the audience questions. At a particularly dramatic moment when the Queen of Hearts has it in for some misbehaving cards, Alice "hides" the cards in the audience, asking young patrons for their help in hiding them. The Queen of Hearts commands the King of Hearts, and anyone else near enough to hear her, in a booming voice and a costume reminiscent of a '20s flapper. I think the scariest moment in this play is when the Queen of Hearts shouts "Off with their heads!" There was a family sat beside me and I wonder if those kids get scared or not! There's a lot of set design and costuming invested in this play, and it pays off; this is a satisfying production to watch unfold, even if I'm not in the suggested 5-10 year-old age range. The City Theater of Sacramento City College does completely unleash the ability of reshowing the whole story to the audience. Overall, this is an amazing play for the family activities in the weekend.

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