Innovative 'Alice' Wonders -- and Sometimes Wanders

Manassas Theater Group Strives for 'Rocky Horror' Effect

Alice's trip to Wonderland is twisted almost out of recognition at the Cramer Center in Manassas, where Theatre for the Community is staging a version of the children's story that's aimed at older teens and twentysomethings. What Holly McNamee, the group's artistic director, has in mind is the creation of a new phenomenon, sort of "Alice" meets "Rocky Horror." Creating phenomena is a significant gamble, and this one relies for success on the one component of the production McNamee cannot control: the willingness of the audience to participate.

First came the Lewis Carroll stories, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," in 1865, and "Through the Looking Glass," several years later. Carroll imbued the stories with a sense of the absurd so strong as to border on the surreal, mixing in distortions of logic and language that have made the stories eternally popular with children and adults. Even Walt Disney's homogenization machine couldn't fully erase the nightmarish edge hovering over Alice's adventures, the suggestion of mortality and anxiety in Carroll's work that has enhanced their popularity.

So it was not surprising when Andre Gregory of New York's avant-garde theater scene created his own nightmarish "Alice" 36 years ago for his Manhattan Project theater. It was a caustic, unsettling version of the story that has served as the launching pad for numerous experimental productions, many delving into psychosexual themes. That's McNamee's starting point.

But, this being the family-centered Cramer Center, she has sanded off the rough edges, put a sense of fun back in and added a significant component of audience participation. The result is a show that bears only a passing resemblance to either the original tale or Gregory's dark take on it. Patrons sitting themselves down at the theater's tables find balloons, crayons, kazoos, bubble-blowing fluid and plastic eggs filled with candy. Also on hand is a partial script of the show so they can read along and be cued in on when to use the playthings. It instructs you when to shout certain things along with the actors, sing, blow bubbles or even "play patty cake with other members of the audience," among other things.

During a Sunday matinee on opening weekend, only a small audience was on hand and participation was minimal, leaving the actors to drag themselves through the motions pretty much by themselves for 90 minutes. But there were unconfirmed reports that a much fuller house the night before was the scene of significant audience merriment and participatory hijinks. Like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," this "Alice" is probably a nighttime treat -- probably the later the better, although there's nothing here to upset or offend either children or grandparents.

Theater for the Community has put a lot of work into the production, creating an appropriately bizarre world inside the Cramer Center, beginning with the brightly decorated floors and theater entrance lined with mirrors and odd doors. There's a colorful rotating set on the stage, and the cast members spend quite a bit of time among the audience tables. Most of the action is silly rather than dark, although Tweedledum (Stephanie Powlen) and Tweedledee (Caryn May) manage to be both fetching and just a little creepy at the same time.

McNamee, who co-directs with Sylvia Lee, gave herself the role of Alice and turns in a performance full of sunshine. Other highlights come from McCall Noelle Farrell as the imperious Red Queen and Zach Arnold as a Knight singing a song that's a parody of early Bob Dylan. Oddly enough, it's a pretty good song. And you get to join in, something grouchy old Bob probably wouldn't allow.

"Alice in Wonderland" concludes Sunday, performed by Theatre in the Community at the Cramer Center, 9008 Center St., Manassas. Showtime tomorrow and Saturday is 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 703-365-8350. For information, visithttp://www.cramercenter.com.