Don’t be late for a very important date with Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and all your favorite characters from “Alice in Wonderland!” Gwinnett Ballet Theatre brings this classic story to life on March 8th and 9th in the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center during a production that will captivate everyone.
Three performances will be offered, with shows on Saturday, March 8th at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, March 9th at 2:30 p.m. Parents might want to attend the matinee show on Saturday, because the whole family will want to come back and see it all again. This will be easy to fit into the budget as Gwinnett Ballet Theatre has priced tickets at a very family-friendly $17 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under.
“Alice in Wonderland” is a visual treat from many points of view. The sets and costumes are wildly colorful. The music is a combination of familiar melodies from Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Adam, among other composers. And Michael Hollier’s whimsical choreography brings “Alice” vividly to life.
Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Lisa Sheppard Robson is excited about the production. She says, “I am thrilled to be bringing ‘Alice in Wonderland’ back to the stage. It has been seven years since GBT performed ‘Alice,’ and many of our senior dancers who performed the smaller roles as little girls will now be performing major roles. In turn, our younger dancers can enjoy being in another large-scale production after ‘Nutcracker.’ ‘Alice’ is such a colorful and animated production, full of humor and fantasy. Michael Hollier cleverly constructed this fanciful, satirized journey through Wonderland. The ballet is filled with brilliant color, drama and adventure!”
Ms. Robson continues, “We will have 87 cast members take the stage as the familiar and well-loved personalities of the ‘Alice’ story, but we also feature characters such as the tigerlily, the iris, corabelles, the rose, the teapot and teacups, sugar cubes, hummingbirds, butterflies, the dragonfly, garden and enchanted fairies, and more.”
The story follows Alice on a whirlwind tour through the forest as she follows the White Rabbit and his pocket watch. He is late for a very important date! Desperate to find him, she seeks help from the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, just to name a few. Alice’s adventure culminates at the Queen of Heart’s Castle, where Alice tries hard to please her Highness or be banished from court. She succeeds and is bestowed with the gift of the pocket watch, much to the White Rabbit’s chagrin!
“This Ballet will delight all ages of audience members. You are sure to laugh, and in the end, it will bring a tear to the eye,” Ms Robson concludes.
The first half of the performance will be a showcase of choreography from GBT’s repertory. Three ballets are featured, each choreographed by one of GBT’s successful alumni. “Tocarre” is a piece created by GBT graduate Robert Dekkers, now a member of Ballet Arizona. With music by John Adams, this ballet features fast footwork, eclectic choreography, and is overall a very explosive and energetic work.
A second ballet by Dekkers is “Tempers,” set to music by Vivaldi as performed by Bobby McFerrin. This work in three movements features a lovely pas de deux and many interesting twists.
Alumni Sara Chamberlin has created “Pointe: Counterpointe” to the music of Herbie Hancock. A fun, energetic and fast-moving piece, it is full of challenging choreography for company members.
The March performances will be the last for six GBT seniors who will graduate in May. Ms. Robson says, “It is always a passing of the torch at GBT when our dancers graduate. It has been amazing to witness the growth of these young dancers into incredible artists, performers, and young professionals.”
The young women graduates are: Gracie Barwick, Garet Erwin, Lauren Ring, Sabrina Sandoval, Colleen Saul, and Audrey Steele.
For tickets to “Alice in Wonderland,” call Ticketmaster at 404-249-6400 or visit any Ticketmaster location. Or, visit the Box Office at Gwinnett Center, located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA, 30097.
For more information about Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, visit the Web site at www.gwinnettballet.org or call the studios at 770-978-0188.
