Pitt Rep follows movie down the rabbit hole

Pitt Repertory Theatre presents “Alice”

March 24 through April… Pitt Repertory Theatre presents “Alice”

March 24 through April 3

University of Pittsburgh Studio Theatre

Directed by Sam Turich and Tamara Goldbogen

Written by Emilia Anderson and Tamara Goldbogen

Order tickets at (412) 624-PLAY orplay.pitt.edu

Falling down the rabbit hole has never been quite so in-vogue.

If Tim Burton’s iteration of “Alice in Wonderland” hasn’t filled your Mad Hatter cravings, then bake a batch of body-shrinking cakes: Pitt Repertory Theatre presents its own version of “Wonderland” in its production, “Alice.”

Playwrights Tamara Goldbogen and Emilia Anderson adapted Lewis Carroll’s beloved childhood tale into a stage-ready smorgasbord of puppets, acting and music.

“We started out by reading the book and picking out scenes and characters we really liked and knew we wanted to use. But [Carroll’s book] is written like a novel. There’s not a lot of drama,” explained Goldbogen. “I’m interested in Alice. I wanted her to have a strong desire that drove the story.”

The show begins with Alice learning to walk a tight rope. She is supposed to be her sister’s bridesmaid, but Alice is more interested in joining the circus. The story is told by a group of circus performers, which means there’s a whole lot of action on stage.

“This is an ensemble piece, so the actors do a lot of working with their bodies like circus performers,” said Goldbogen.

The 12 members of the ensemble rely on a wall of hats to change characters throughout the show.

“It’s fun not to be the same character the whole time. It’s a physically demanding show. It requires a lot of focus to switch characters on the spot, and you have to make sure your characters don’t blur,” Ryan Very, who plays the Mad Hatter and one of the circus performers, said. “It’s very cartoon-like. It’s a spectacle — there are a lot of lights, a lot of costumes.”

To give the classic tale a fresh spin, Goldbogen incorporated puppets and an on-stage band.

“That’s why I like ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ It lends itself well to puppets — all that growing and shrinking,” she said.

Doctorate student Lisa Leibering created most of the puppets on site.

“We use humanettes, which are puppets operated by two people,” Goldbogen said.

The Alice puppet was created by “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” puppet-maker Wavy Davy.

“We’re striving for entertainment with this show. It’s not a message play. We went for the gags,” Goldbogen said.

A smart-mouthed pirate, for example, was added to the traditional list of characters.

“We have a pirate appear when Alice dives into the ocean of tears, but she also has to be a ventriloquist,” Goldbogen said.

Cara Kierzkowski, who plays the pirate, also speaks for the parrot puppet perched on her shoulder.

Local performer Buddy Nut, known for his penchant for making music with found objects, wrote all the music for the show.

“He inherently understands how music can enhance a piece,” said Goldbogen. “He takes the play to another level.”

The actors perform all of the show’s music. The multi-skilled cast, many of whom had little experience with musical instruments, had to learn how to play trumpets, guitars, ukuleles — and wine glasses.

“There are a lot of very quirky instruments and sounds,” Very said. “I play the guitar, gong, a shaker. It’s more about making sounds than about making musical notes. The musical saws are the neatest to listen to. It definitely adds a fun, playful dimension.”

Goldbogen, who has a background in theater for youth, wanted the story to appeal to a broad range of people.

“This is something different for the undergrads to see, but it’s also great for children. It’s going to be a fun night.”