The story of “Alice in Wonderland” is a classic amongst children’s literature and will be Cherry Hill West’s Children’s Show this fall. The story follows Alice Liddell after she falls down a hole into the mad world that is Wonderland. She meets a multitude of peculiar characters, from a white talking rabbit to a queen whose favorite line is, “Off with their heads!” Every crazy creature Alice encounters teaches her interesting lessons such as, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

I was able to talk to the actors playing Alice Liddell (Jenna German ‘16) and the White Rabbit (Areej Shafique ‘16) along with the Children’s Show Director, Mrs. Nelson.

Q: What can kids be excited about in this show?

White Rabbit: All the characters have unique characteristics. They really are fun and crazy so kids will definitely enjoy meeting them.

Alice: It’s a classic tale that has had many adaptations throughout the years. But no matter what, kids will enjoy the familiarity as almost everyone has experience with this story.

Director: I think kids will be excited for going on a silly, weird adventure that really uses imagination in a way that’s so entertaining.

Q: What’s your favorite scene from the play?

White Rabbit: The croquet game, because of how funny it is. Croquet is the favorite game of this beheading Queen who plays with flamingos and uses animals as equipment. It’s basically so ridiculous that it’s hilarious.

Alice: The very beginning because it’s so ironic. No matter how many different adaptations there are, there are always the same elements in every story. Alice falls down a hole and then she finds the bottle that has the words “Drink Me” on it and the cake that says “Eat Me.” Everyone who knows the story is familiar with this scene.

Director: For me, the tea party is my favorite scene because it’s always so crazy and fun. In every adaptation I’ve seen done of it, the characters of the March Hare and Mad Hatter are extremely crazy and the costumes are bright and bold. It shows how this world is breaking rules compared to ours and it reminds you of how it’s okay to break the rules even outside Wonderland.

Q: What are important lessons this play teaches?

Alice: A lesson this play teaches is to step beyond boundaries because you will find a colorful world. Everyone has madness in them. Wonderland teaches us it’s okay to let it out sometimes.

White Rabbit: I learned to always be on time.

Director: The show displays to us how we’ll meet characters throughout life that are a bit strange but like Alice, every character leads us to the final path we take.

Q: What are the challenges of bringing this play to life?

White Rabbit: It’s a classic tale people have grown up with so in playing these characters, we have all these expectations from how they dress to the way they move. Our adaptation has to be specific towards us and still have our creative decisions. We still have to do justice to these characters.

Alice: It’s Wonderland, and people expect huge sets and special effects. They don’t understand you can tell it simply by just being on a stage.

Director: Right now most people have seen Tim Burton’s adaptation. They think of the specific characters or specific scenes that are very different compared to Disney’s approach or to the original story. To tell the story in a way that still entertains an audience but doesn’t need the high tech Hollywood electronics will be challenging, but the cast will rise to the challenge.