The J. Taylor Finley Middle School drama club will bring two days of delightful theater to the stage when the curtain goes up for shows this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.
The zany 60-minute musical, designed for middle-school performers, is based on the 1951 Disney film and the novels by Lewis Carroll. The cast and stage crew includes 43 seventh and eighth graders under the direction of teacher and faculty club advisor Gina-Marie Molvaut.
“Alice in Wonderland Jr. provides our Drama Club students with the opportunity to learn about the wonderful possibilities that can come from trying something new, both by taking part in the production and by getting to know the story’s theme of self-discovery,” Ms. Molvaut said. “Like Alice, sometimes we learn most about ourselves in the most unexpected situations.”
Theater-goers are in for a real treat since the Finley auditorium and stage has been renovated since last year’s show. The stage was refinished and its façade painted. All of the seating and flooring has been replaced with cushioned chairs installed along with new tiles and carpeting.
Friday and Saturday night’s crowds can follow Alice as she navigates the curious world of Wonderland, encountering the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, a Mad Hatter, a Queen with a quite a temper, and many more of literature’s beloved Wonderland characters.
The madcap musical includes favorites from the Disney cannon such as “I’m Late,” “The Unbirthday Song,” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” in a charming updated retelling of the Lewis Carroll classic.
Whether this is your first experience with Alice or your hundredth, you’ll lose your head (and heart!) for Alice in Wonderland Jr. at J. Taylor Finley Middle School.
Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
“The Finley drama club is open to the school’s seventh and eighth grade students who want to experience any and all aspects of mounting a live production, whether performing on stage or becoming part of the production/backstage crew,” Ms. Molvaut said.