In Alice in Wonderland, female icons compete against each other, but in the end love wins | Arts & Culture | Halifax, Nova Scotia

AAt the risk of giving myself away, I must confess that as a child I watched my VHS recording of a live-action version of Alice in Wonderland. I remember being both horrified and fascinated by the madness of it all; not to mention the disturbing riddle language, the wacky characters, and the Jabberwocky.

I firmly believe that this story sparked not only my growing fascination with the macabre, but more importantly, my staunch feminism. The Queen of Hearts rules with an iron fist—exercising authoritative control over the entire Wonderland and its insane inhabitants—while her lame, bumbling husband is just plain bad, and I’m always rooting for that dynamic.

As a self-proclaimed Alice fan, I love consuming her content in all variations and combinations, and this summer offers a great opportunity to see a wild version.

Lewis Carroll’s fever dream story became a classic about Alice and her incredible adventures. It has captivated readers and viewers for generations and is now coming to Point Pleasant Park in an imaginative musical version presented by Shakespeare by the Sea (SBTS).

This original production by SBTS was first performed in 2012, then reimagined in 2018, and now again in 2024. The latest edition is a mashup of the previous two, redeveloped and rewritten over time.

This summer, Jade Douris O-Hara is back to play Alice – she played a number of roles in 2018, including Alice’s sister, the Dormouse and the Jabberwocky – and is excited to bring childlike joy to the lead role this time around.

“I think it’s all really silly and really funny, but at its core it’s the story of a young person discovering the power of her own imagination,” says Douris O-Hara. “Although Wonderland is both wonderful and terrifying – and at different times, Alice has to push through and be brave. In the end, we see a little girl who is ready to grow up and find herself.”

It helps that Douris O-Hara is also the studio head at SBTS, a role in which she oversees the educational programs and teaches children year-round. She says she was able to infuse that youthful spirit into the character—a transition she found particularly seamless.

At the other end of the spectrum is another female force: the Queen of Hearts, played by Nigerian-born, Toronto-based actress Amaka Umeh. This is her first appearance on the Point Pleasant location set, and they’re determined to give some context to the hated character with her penchant for beheadings.

“For me, it was interesting to explore why the Queen is the way she is,” says Umeh. “Her heart has been broken and I want to explore what it means to be a person who cannot feel love, only anger and hate, and how destructive that is to herself and everyone around her.”

As usual, the two strong female characters are pitted against each other, but like any good fairy tale, important lessons are learned and in the end it is Alice, the Queen’s sworn enemy, who gives her the most incredible power of all: love.

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James Arthur MacLean

Jade Douris O-Hara plays Alice and is responsible for the choreography for the musical production.

“Of course, she’s angry at Alice the whole time – another femme queen – who has done nothing wrong!” says Umeh. “But she ultimately learns from Alice that you have to follow your heart and go out into the world with love and try to look at your relationships through that lens. Ultimately, that’s really girl power.”

The show opens on Saturday and audiences can expect the plot to stay pretty true to the original – psychedelic with elements of utter nonsense – but this version adds a new layer of chaos: singing.

“This is a proper musical, so expect lots of singing, lots of dancing and lots of incredibly fast costume changes,” says Umeh. “You’ll see all the characters you know and love, and it’s very high energy, with ups and downs and all kinds of antics and jokes.”

The movements and choreography of these hijinx were developed by Douris-O’Hara herself, with an emphasis on matching the movements to the music so that the audience can see what they feel when they hear the songs.

“Because I’ve been working on this piece for so long, these songs have been floating around in my head for about six years. So it’s been a fun process where ideas have been pouring out of me over the years,” says Douris-O’Hara.

Because only eight members of the troupe fill each role in the show, most members play three or four characters, so the atmosphere behind the scenes is just as chaotic as what happens on stage. The whole thing feels like a sprint for the cast, and by the end, they feel “exhausted in a good way,” according to the two stars.

I think the audience will feel the same way.

Alice in Wonderland opens this Saturday at 7 p.m. and runs through August 31. Tickets are available at https://www.shakespearebythesea.ca/alice.