Theater Review | ‘Alice, Formerly of Wonderland’
Wonderland Meets Santa Barbara in Ensemble Theatre Company’s World Premiere Production
Ensemble Theatre Company’s world premiere of Mark Saltzman’s Alice, Formerly of Wonderland, is a pleasant blend of elements lightly sprinkled with enough of the intriguing and the bizarre to keep audiences entertained — despite the main conflict being the well-trodden scenario of royalty falling in (verboten) love with a commoner. Chipper a cappella interludes provide scaffolding for the story and work as strongly as set pieces to create the illusion of 19th-century England. And while the star-crossed lovers trope is common fare, the characters in this production have a magnetism that infuses investment into their predicament. Directed by Jim Fall, Alice, Formerly of Wonderland runs at the New Vic through June 16.
Alice is about growing up and leaving behind the naivety of childhood. Alice (Margie Mays), the inspiration for that Alice (of Wonderland fame), is a young woman living at Oxford where her father is dean. Though she frequently rebuffs the attention she receives based on this celebrity, reminding people that she’s not in Wonderland anymore, Alice still holds on to some of the vision and optimism of youth that has yet to be extinguished by the grinding regime of Victorian culture. She still “visits” her super-fabulous bestie the caterpillar (Matthew Greenwood) for a chat or to gossip, and when Prince Leopold, son of Queen Victoria, matriculates into Oxford, she immediately imagines herself in a common-girl-turned-princess situation. The fantasy is fueled when Leopold also becomes smitten with Alice, and the two begin to plan a future together — only to have their spirits broken by the realities of how much one must truly sacrifice to make change in the world.
Saltzman has created an appealing work that is simultaneously comfortable and unique. I’m confident Alice could be trimmed to a tidy, “90-minutes-no-intermission” play, but I do believe the show has a future as a popular production option for English-speaking theater companies.
Sam O’Byrne and Bree Murphy star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of ‘ALICE, FORMERLY OF WONDERLAND’ by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
From left, Sam O’Byrne, Sawyer Patterson and Matthew Greenwood in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
From left, Bree Murphy, Brent Schindele, Margie Mays, Matthew Greenwood, and Sawyer Patterson star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
Margie Mays and Matthew Greenwood star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
Margie Mays and Sam O’Byrne star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
Sam O’Byrne and Margie Mays star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
From left, Sam O’Byrne, Brent Schindele, Matthew Greenwood, Sawyer Patterson and Bree Murphy star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
Margie Mays stars in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
From Left, Sam O’Byrne, Matthew Greenwood, Bree Murphy, Brent Schindele and Sawyer Patterson star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez 
Sam O’Byrne and Margie Mays star in the Ensemble Theatre Company world premiere production of “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland” by Mark Saltzman, directed by Jim Fall and now playing at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara. | Photo: Zach Mendez
Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of Alice, Formerly of Wonderland is at the New Vic Theatre (33 W. Victoria St.) through June 16. See etcsb.org/production/alice-formerly-of-wonderland.
