Alice by Heart

Originally a Royal National Theatre commission, performed in London in 2012, Alice by Heart has not had a professional run in Australia, but community theatres appear to be picking up this musical, written by the Spring Awakening team.  

The musical takes place in 1942, in the debris after the London Blitz of World War II.  The life of young teen Alice Spencer is disrupted, as she and her best friend Alfred are made to take shelter in a London Underground tube station. However, Alfred, who is suffering from tuberculosis, is quarantined. Alice urges him to escape with her into their cherished book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and travel down the rabbit hole with her to Wonderland. Nurse Cross, who oversees keeping everyone safe, rips Alice’s book as a punishment for visiting Alfred, despite him being in quarantine. Alice becomes very defiant and declares she knows it “by heart” and will read to him anyway.

Walking into the Shirley Burke Theatre I felt like I was walking into a London Tube tunnel. The pre-show set, and lighting gave you this sense of what it must have felt like to someone walking into the London Tube during the ‘London Blitz’ of 1942.

The show opened with that haunting air-raid siren and a soldier’s silhouette appearing behind a white curtain gave you instant goosebumps and caught your attention straight away.

Chris Ryan, a first-time director, created a show worth seeing, leading a young cast of 17 talented individuals to produce a level of artistry and professionalism which was a pleasure to see. Ryan’s clear guidance in direction made moments look and feel as if this was an actual moment playing out onstage; at one point I felt lost within the show, feeling as if I was a part of the story, it was almost movie-like.

Hannah Hunt, who I have had the privilege to see make her conductor’s debut in an earlier production this month, commanded a 7-piece orchestra off stage. Though not seen, the energy of their music uplifted you. Although at times some of the audio and music came across quite loud, it was still nice to hear the live music. Hunt did well, timing her orchestra with what was happening onstage to create a good blend.

Vocal Director Diane O’Hare, originally from Belfast, got the cast to sound amazing together; the harmonies of this young cast were beautiful to listen to and a credit to O’Hare.

Finally, Molly Whytcross, a new choreographer on the block making her Musical Theatre debut back in 2023 in MLOC’s A Chorus Line, has obviously been bitten by the theatre bug. Whytcross’s choreography was a creative extension to the already beautiful story and came across as if it was meant to be, the choreography enhanced Ryan’s creative direction perfectly.

Sound design by Tim Mann was at times a little loud and sharp but that is live theatre. Lighting design by Jayden Harvey was well thought out and amplified the scenes well. Costumes by Debbie Jenkins were era appropriate and well thought out for the show.

Leading a well diverse cast of 17 was Elizabeth Gordon-Saker in the title role of Alice. A well-rounded performer, her portrayal of Alice was lovely and vocally strong. Brayden Stokes was well suited to his role; he brought a tear to my eye, as well as those of many other audience members around me, with his performance in the role of Alfred. 

Other stand-out performances include Sarah Green (Queen of Hearts), Nicolas Brown (Doctor Butridge), Lottie O’Hare (Cheshire Cat) and Ethan Hooper (Mad Hatter).

Well done to the creative team and cast of MLOC’s Alice By Heart. It is lovely to see such young and diverse performers on a community theatre stage.

Review by Barbara Hill – The Dom, New Zealand

Photographer: Graham Milnes