GREAT PERFORMANCES: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (TV)
Summary
One in this series presented under the umbrella of "Great Performances." In this program, an adaptation of Eva La Gallienne's stage version of Lewis Carroll's classic satire combines "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There" as well as songs.
The show opens in a theater's backstage area, where cast members of an "Alice" production discuss their misgivings about the leading lady. The scene changes to the understudy's dressing room, where the understudy is trying to memorize lines in a panic. Drawing inspiration from an "Alice in Wonderland" etching on her mirror, she suddenly finds herself in Carroll's curious universe, with all of the characters and backgrounds taking shape like John Tenniel's original illustrations.
Now "seven-year-old Alice" meets the White Rabbit (who -- like the rest of the Wonderland creations -- is played by a member of the stage acting troupe), drinks a potion which makes her tiny, takes advice from a caterpillar, marvels at the Cheshire Cat and attends a tea party with the Mad Hatter, Dormouse and March Hare. Part One concludes after the dictatorial Queen of Hearts loses patience with Alice and orders her beheaded, causing the actress to awaken.
Part Two also opens in the dressing room before returning to Wonderland, where Alice encounters Tweedledum and Tweedledee, hears Humpty-Dumpty's explanation of the Jabberwocky nonsense poem, is aided by the White Knight, and finds herself in a war of words with the Red Queen and White Queen. The reverie ends when all the characters attend a dinner party given by Alice and drown her in a cacophony of noise and confusion. The production concludes with the understudy on stage, perfectly reciting the Jabberwocky poem.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: October 3, 1983 Monday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:28:57
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:58706
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Satire; Literature - Adaptations
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1976-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jac Venza … Executive Producer
- Anne Blumenthal … Producer
- Susie Fasbinder … Associate Producer
- Kirk Browning … Director
- Lewis Carroll … Writer
- Eva La Gallienne … Based on the production by
- Richard Addinsell … Music by
- Jonathan Tunick … Music by, Conductor
- Donald Saddler … Choreographer
- Eve Arden … Cast, Queen of Hearts
- Kaye Ballard … Cast, Duchess
- Kate Burton … Cast, Alice
- Richard Burton … Cast, White Knight
- James Coco … Cast, King of Hearts
- Tony Cummings … Cast, Knave of Hearts
- Andre De Shields … Cast, Tweedledum
- Colleen Dewhurst … Cast, Red Queen
- Andre Gregory … Cast, Mad Hatter
- Geoffrey Holder … Cast, Cheshire Cat
- Zeljko Ivanek … Cast, March Hare
- Nathan Lane … Cast, Dormouse
- Donald O'Connor … Cast, Mock Turtle
- Austin Pendleton … Cast, White Rabbit
- Maureen Stapleton … Cast, White Queen
- Swen Swenson … Cast, Gryphon
- Fritz Weaver … Cast, Caterpillar
- Alan Weeks … Cast, Tweedledee
- Richard Woods … Cast, Humpty-Dumpty
- Dean Badolato … Cast, Six of Hearts
- Bill Badolato … Cast, Seven of Spades
- Mercedes Ellington … Cast, Five of Hearts
- David Gold … Cast, Five of Spades
- Frantz Hall … Cast, Two of Spades
- Dirk Lumbard … Cast, Ten of Hearts
- Robert Meadows … Cast, Seven of Hearts
- Kirby Tepper … Cast, Three of Clubs