Anchorage Daily News

Looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend? Consider Anchorage Community Theatre's production of "Alice in Wonderland," which opened Friday at Mountain View Community Church.

Produced in collaboration with the Mountain View Theatre Project, "Alice in Wonderland" is a technicolor trip through Lewis Carroll's beloved fantasy world. Fans of the book (and its film interpretations) will recognize plenty of favorite characters brought to life -- in true community theater fashion -- by actors of all ages and levels of experience.

The script, an adaptation by Michele L. Vacca, doesn't adhere strictly to the Carroll original; characters like the Mad Hatter (played by Michelle Beskler) and the March Hare (Lori Pathmann) pop onstage frequently to interact with Alice and a narrator (affable Bob Ritter). As a result, young theatergoers will get to see plenty of their favorite Wonderland inhabitants.

While the actors' performances aren't perfect, they are presented with admirable enthusiasm and gusto. Special accolades are merited by the play's many young actors, particularly Olivia Webster, a pint-sized Queen of Hearts; siblings Hunter and Olivia Ralls, who play TweedleDum and TweedleDee, respectively; and Gage Hisely, who does double duty as the Dormouse and the Knave of Hearts. Rebecca Boitz is a fresh-faced and earnest Alice, and Seth Eggleston has his Cheshire Cat's sly smirk down pat.

ACT's players frolic about an appropriately whimsical set capped by an arch of giant playing cards, and costume designer Lynn Murphy has them outfitted in a rainbow of storybook costumes.

As befits a community theater production staged in a neighborhood church, "Alice in Wonderland" has a collaborative, homegrown feel that will have you cheering for the cast despite the occasional missed line or prop malfunction.

This is the kind of play that will make children sitting in the audience think, "That looks like fun. I'd like to give it a try." It's also the kind of play that gives young actors their first taste of the spotlight and plants the seeds of a lifelong love of theater.

Maia Nolan lives and writes in Anchorage.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through Oct. 25 at Mountain View Community Church, 4301 Mountain View Drive. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military and $8 for children 12 and under. Call 868-4913 or visit www.actalaska.org.

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