Thursday, May 30, 2013

Area Attractions: Alice in Wonderland at the CTC

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Last night my husband and I celebrated our anniversary by taking the girls to see Alice in Wonderland at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. We had a great time. It's been a long time since I've been to see a show there (Mr. Popper's Penguins about two decades ago) and it was nice to have the chance to go again.
My husband enjoyed it. He had a good time, and had even more fun watching our older daughter. She had read the Disney version of the book ahead of time, and on the way there, she kept asking questions like, "How will the make her shrink?" and "How will she fall down the hole?" Afterwards she kept reciting lines from the play, and was full of giggles at Alice's adventures throughout.
My younger daughter didn't do as well, and we spent the second half in the quiet room in the back, where we could still see pretty well, hear the dialogue, but she wasn't so close that it could spook her as much (there are a few scenes, including the kitchen scene and the Jabberwocky, that may startle young kids). It probably didn't help that it was an evening show, and she's a little more sensitive in the evening. But even she said after the show that she enjoyed it, especially when I asked about the funnier parts.
Visually, the cast does a great job with choreography and scene presence. There is enough humor to keep adults engaged, and enough going on with lights and colors that it will amuse most kids. The play is somewhat disjointed - but so is the book, and when you're portraying a silly little girl's dream, it's bound to be disjointed.
We had a great evening, and it's a good kick-off to summer/celebration of the end of the school year if you're in the Twin Cities area. The show is playing through June 15th, so you have just over two weeks to get your tickets! Ticket prices vary, and you can try your hand at getting $10 tickets as well - call the Box Office for details.

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