It’s not too often you see the story of Alice in Wonderland performed to the music of modified Beatle’s tunes. But that is the fun and intriguing creation that Catharine Blaine K-8 teacher Laurel White has come up with for the school’s latest production.
White has taken the traditional Alice in Wonderland story and added the Catharine Blaine Glee Club as an interactive chorus singing Beatle songs with modified lyrics.
If this sounds ambitious, it is. But the theatre veteran who has been the multi-arts teacher at Catharine Blaine for the past three years seems to relish the challenge.
“I worked in the theatre for years, going into schools and putting on productions with only a couple of weeks to prepare,” White said.
It also helps if the play is fun and clever. White has taken many Beatle standards and added a “Wonderland” twist. For instance the song, “Yellow Submarine,” becomes “Whacky Wonderland.” In this production, a character sings “Dear Soup” to the music of “Hey Jude,” and the playing card guards who protect the queen sing a modified version of “Do You Want to Know a Secret?”
White said the musical is a completely student-centered production, with Catharine Blaine students creating the sets, in charge of props and costumes and running the stage. Any student who wanted to participate got some role in the production.
White said she started by signing kids up in January, only later did she have auditions to see which child got which role. The production is also somewhat unique because kids of all different ages are taking part, from second graders through to eighth graders.
White said she has seen some of her budding thespians blossom during the production.
“Oh, my gosh, some of the kids were so shy when we started,” White said. “They were intimidated to be in the play. But they’ve really developed into their parts. It’s really exciting to watch.”
The performances will be held at 7 p.m., April 14 and 15. On Thursday night, Alice will be played by second-grader Grace Wesson. On Friday night, the challenging role will be played by third-grader Eleanor Gilbert.
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