Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s eagerly awaited ALICE BY HEART is a muddled, misjudged affair

• By drediman
• March 13, 2019
• No Comments

Molly Gordon in Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s “Alice by Heart” at MCC Theater. Photo by Deen van Meer.

This past weekend, I caught the eagerly awaited production of Alice by Heart, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s musical spin on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. The team attained considerable and deserved acclaim with their soulful musical adaptation of Spring Awakening (which I adored), which took home the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical and a slew of other awards. Alice by Heart was originally commissioned by and staged in 2012 at London’s indispensable National Theatre and is now receiving its New York premiere courtesy of Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater at the their brand new quarters in Hell’s Kitchen.

I really wanted to like Alice by Heart. The main concept of setting the show during the Blitz and having Mr. Carroll’s iconic characters come to life by restless orphans in a drab makeshift shelter is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, the whole affair is rather misjudged, fumbling along with little shape and clarity. The muddled book, co-written by Mr. Sater and director Jessie Nelson, moves forward with fuzzy self-importance that’s neither entertaining nor particularly enlightening (I really don’t have to be reminded of the power of the imagination). It didn’t help that at least half the lyrics were indistinguishable, which is a shame given both Mr. Sater and Mr. Carroll’s propensity towards rich, dreamy imagery. As for Mr. Sheik’s monotone pop music, we’ve heard it all before and more memorably, in shows such as Spring Awakening and even the underrated American Pyscho.

Admittedly, Ms. Nelson’s production has moments of beguiling inventiveness and wit, but she has limited success making the material come to life. At least Alice by Heart is fascinating to look at; set designer Donyale Werle’s imposing recreation of an unused London tube station, complete with vaulted ceiling, is impressively monumental. The cast was mostly good. Although leads Molly Gordon (playing Alice) and Colton Ryan (as her ailing potential love interest) possess distinctive sets of pipes, their characterizations ultimately lacked the necessary charisma and personality to lift the musical out of mediocrity. However, I applaud the show’s young, hardworking ensemble, who are constantly deployed and redeployed over the course of the show’s 90 intermission-less minutes.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

ALICE BY HEART
Off-Broadway, Musical
MCC Theater (The Newman Mills Theater)
1 hour, 30 minutes
Through April 7