Unsuk Chin’s opera, Alice in Wonderland, first performed at the Bayerischen Staatoper (Bavarian State Opera) in Munich last year, is now available on DVD. Even if you are not a fan of opera, the costumes and sets are very intriguing and unusual. www.euroarts.com/artikel/dvd/?id=007241_chin_alice_in_wonderland_nicht
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The Blog of the LCSNA
Life imitates art, or something like that…
Portland Digital collage artist Kenneth Rougeau has an exhibit of his Wonderland-inspired works at the Quirks of Art Gallery (www.quirks-of-art.com) in Portland, Oregon, through April. His works can also be viewed and purchased at www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5177790.
(c) Kenneth Rougeau
The “Hugo Strikes Back!” website has an exhaustive, if not completely comprehensive listing of Alice illustrators at http://hugo-sb.wetpaint.com/page/Alice+Illustrations+other+than+Tenniel.
And people ask if Carroll was on drugs!
Never let it be said that you can’t make Alice mean whatever you want it to say (or is it say what you mean?)
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first commercial oil well in North America in 1858 at Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia (VPP) is presenting “Alice in Oil Town,” April 7 to 13. “Alice in Oil Town” is a delightful romp that incorporates many of the well-known Alice characters with historical figures and events associated with the oil heritage of Lambton County. The Mad Hatter becomes a crazy oil driller, The Queen of Hearts is now the Queen of Derricks, the flowers in a lovely garden play a dangerous game of “Toss the Nitro,” and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum can set you up with everything you need to start pumping oil. www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=954151
www.victoriaplayhousepetrolia.com
Triple Shadow’s ALICE: END OF DAZE follows nine-year-old Alice, portrayed by an actress in her sixties, as she escapes into a fantastic, surreal wonderland where she meets some familiar — and occasionally sinister — humans and puppet characters such as Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledumb, and Tweedledee. ALICE: END OF DAZE explores the nature of time, visual perception and consciousness. Alice finds herself in a fast-paced world, venturing into places where past, present and future seemingly coexist. She encounters ancient Mayan beliefs under attack by Spanish missionaries, modern-day creationism, global warming theories, end-of-days scenarios, and a 19th-century photo shoot that turns into a harrowing wild-west firing squad taking aim directly at her head. At La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, the show runs from
April 24 to May 11: www.lamama.org.
What’s happening in Holland?
Ending this weekend is an exhibit at Kunstkerk Dordrecht (Dordrecht, the Netherlands), which includes Alice-inspired paintings by Sarah Yu Zeebroek, and a reading/performance of Manifestation Alice in Wonderland by Foundation de LuiaardVrouwe, followed by high tea. Tickets are still available. Visit http://www.meursam.nl/ (in Dutch or here in English) for more information, as well as to see a watercolor of Dordrecht by Dean Liddell.
Updates
If you were unable to attend the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre’s Alice (http://lcsna.blogspot.com/2008/03/upcoming-events.html), you can view a stunning selection of photos from the production and from “behind-the-scenes” taken by Richard Calmes: www.pbase.com/rcalmes/alice_performances.
And if you would like more information on the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Alice exhibit (opening April 25), there is now a direct link: www.lywam.org/exhibitions/index.cfm?room=upcomingexhibitions.
More controversy
Disney’s “It’s a Small World” ride is undergoing renovations, with every rumor and aspect seemingly designed to generate controversy: larger boats and deeper water to accommodate today’s larger Americans, the rainforest scene replaced by an American patriotic scene, Disney movie characters added into “culturally appropriate” scenes (Mulan into “China,” for example). Here at last is an addition that does seem somewhat appropriate, Alice and the White Rabbit added to “England” – but using Mary Blair’s designs. Since “Small World” was originally designed by Blair, these new figures will at least blend in. http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=1552.
Save Alice’s House!
I’ve neglected to mention that the Liddell family vacation home, Penmorfa, in Llandudno, Wales, is slated for demolition and redevelopment. Fortunately, the various Lewis Carroll societies and local historical societies have generated a lot of publicity in hopes of gaining historical status for the building, and a petition will be presented to the council and to the Welsh Assembly (www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/Petition-to-save-39Alice39house.3934904.jp). If you are interested in adding your pleas, you may send an email addressed to cynllun.plan@conwy.gov.uk with ref to applications for demolition of Penmorfa, no’s, 0/34325 and 0/34236, or a letter to The Chief Planning Officer, Civic Offices, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 8AR (U.K.).
Not certain who took this photo, but all (c) to him or her, and my thanks.
In the news
In response to Thursday’s (March 27) speech by President Bush, Senator Chuck Hagel had this to say on CNN: “I think this is another episode of Alice in Wonderland. What’s up is down, and what’s down is up.” The whole interview can be viewed here: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/03/27/blitzer.hagel.interview.cnn?iref=videosearch
Pittsburgh and Colorado Springs, but not Sunderland
As mentioned in the last issue of the Knight Letter, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will be performing the ballet of Alice in Wonderland April 17 to 20. Originally created for the English National Ballet, the performance is danced to pieces by Tchaikovsky and includes illusions such as roses that change color and the Duchess’s “flying house” (!?). www.pbt.org/performances/alice.php
www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-27-2008/0004781489&EDATE=
Alice in a hookah lounge… with the Caterpillar performed by a male belly dancer… in Colorado Springs? Okay, sure, why not? The Moody Touring Mystery Theatre (http://moodytouringmysteries.com) performs at 40 Thieves Hookah Lounge (http://40thievesonline.com/)on Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29: www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A24182.
The yet-to-be-filmed Mischa Barton movie, Malice in Sunderland, is now Malice in Wonderland, due to lack of funds: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7316174.stm.
Only in SF, and London, and…
Apparently there is an Alice for everyone… Next month, “Cocktailgate,” a drag troupe in San Francisco, will present Alison Wonderbra, featuring excerpts of dialog and song from the 1976 Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy: http://music.sfweekly.com/search/events.php?oid=944935
Starting March 28 and continuing for a year, the Alice-inspired “Seasons Through the Looking Glass” installation will decorate the tunnel entrance of the the Victoria and Albert Museum:
www.vam.ac.uk/collections/contemporary/looking_glass/index.html.
Subscribers of Nature (or those who wish to pay $32 for the privilege) can read “From Alice to everywhere, with love,” a short SF story by Chaz Brenchley: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7183/full/452126a.html.