For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email:
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
“Wonderland” Opens August 8 at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Theater Under the Stairs presents “Wonderland” August 8 to 19 at Cotuit Center for the Arts. Written and directed by Holly Erin McCarthy, “Wonderland” is an adventure-comedy with music for children and families, loosely based on “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll.
Performances are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 10 AM and 12:30 PM, and Sunday, August 14, at 7 PM.
Lily is a modern cellphone-obsessed teenager who follows the White Rabbit—a fitness nut who is very into CrossFit—to Wonderland after he steals her phone. “The play is the story of Lily’s quest through Wonderland to get her phone back,” said McCarthy.
Along the way, she meets Humpty Dumpty, the Mad Hatter, the Duchess, and other residents of Wonderland. “Lost without her phone, she learns to ask for help and the value of experiencing the world firsthand, without her phone,” said McCarthy.
“’Wonderland’ is actually an adaptation of an adaptation,” said McCarthy. “Our first summer children’s theater production at Cotuit Center for the Arts in 2011 was an adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and this play builds on that idea, but takes the story in a completely new direction.”
Wonderland has changed a lot since Alice’s visit. There have been many other visitors over the years, and the magical land offers many new whimsical and fantastical technologies that make Lily’s trip eventful.
The show has a cast of 25 people: five adults and 20 children. Kylie Laue, 20, plays the part of Lily. This is her fifth Theater Under the Stairs summer production.
“Kylie is fantastic, a very talented actor,” said McCarthy. “We have a lot of kids returning every summer to be in our shows, and we are very happy to have them. One of our goals is to introduce kids to the theater—both acting and behind-the-scenes activities, and this summer production is a wonderful opportunity for that.”
CCftA regular Anthony Teixeira plays the White Rabbit and serves as music director. Ari Lew, who has also appeared in several other CCftA productions, is Humpty Dumpty and the Mad Hatter, two roles he also took on in TUTS’s original production of “Alice.” “Six years later, they are very different characters,” said McCarthy. Holly Hansen, new to CCftA, plays the Duchess.
The show features a small band with piano, ukulele, flute, and drums, and song parodies written by McCarthy based on current pop and classic rock songs.
“It’s an adventure-comedy with wacky, silly songs, that’s fun for the whole family,” said McCarthy, “but it does have an underlying message for kids and adults.”
Theater Under the Stars has presented a family show every summer since 2011, including “Snow White and Rose Red,” “The Kinda True Story of Mona Coyote,” “Lulu’s Lemonade Stand,” “Frog: A Modern Fairy Tale,” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
Tickets are $10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artsonthecape.org, or call 508-428-0669. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit.
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What:
“Wonderland,” by Holly Erin McCarthy, presented by Theater Under the Stairs
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
August 8 to 19; Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 10 AM and 12:30 PM; Sunday, August 14, at 7:00 PM
Admission:
$10