Going down the rabbit hole
The Barter Players performed Alice in Wonderland to a packed house at Wytheville's Millwald Theatre on Friday, February 13.
It was such a genuine thrill to see the Barter Players on stage again—especially here in my hometown at our beautiful Millwald Theatre on Friday, February 13. Their gorgeously whimsical and vibrantly colorful production of Alice in Wonderland was nothing short of magical.
In just 45 minutes, the six Barter Player actors had more than 300 audience members—predominantly children who attended the show for free—utterly spellbound from beginning to end. The performance was made free to local public-school children thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Wythe Bland Foundation, whose support ensured that so many young people could experience live theatre at no cost. What a gift to this community. One can rest assured, however, that us adults were equally enthralled.
For me, it was an especially meaningful evening. For over two decades, attending productions at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon has been one of the great joys of my career. Though I’m no longer able to travel back and forth regularly, this touring production felt like a rare and cherished homecoming.
The ensemble of half a dozen brilliant actors—each a true triple threat of singer, actor, and dancer—brought boundless energy to this wacky and wondrous adaptation of the original work by Lewis Carroll. The book and lyrics were written by longtime in-house Barter playwright Catherine Bush, with music by Dax Dupuy. Together, they crafted a script that remained loyal to Carroll’s riddling verse while infusing it with fresh theatrical vitality.
Jay Ruttenberg took center stage as Alice, adorably embracing the precocious character with equal parts curiosity, determination, and a healthy distaste for rules and the mundane. Stephen Cradic was my personal favorite of the evening, portraying the flamboyant King of Hearts as well as the satirical Caterpillar. His tremendous humor and discernible upbeat energy illuminated the stage with immense enjoyment. Whether grooving to a psychedelic ’60s beat before Alice takes a bite of the mushroom or swaying to elevator music as she plummets down the rabbit hole, he added lightheartedness and laughter to every scene in which he appeared.
Tyler Cramer, a longtime favorite Barter Player of mine, flawlessly performed the roles of the White Rabbit, the Mushroom, Alice’s Uncle Charles, and several others with his trademark humor, confident singing, and crisp dancing. Marissa Emerson was a joy to watch in a myriad of roles, including Alice’s sister Lorena, the Mad Hatter, the Deuce of Spades, and more. Abigail Martin perhaps had the biggest stretch, playing Alice’s little brother Freddy, the Cheshire Cat, and several roles traditionally portrayed by men. Reilly Blevins was equally brilliant in her maternal portrayals—Alice’s mother, the Queen of Hearts, and the anxious Mother Pigeon who feared that a ten-foot-tall Alice might be after her unhatched eggs.
The dialogue in this adaptation was particularly impressive. We were given deeper glimpses into Carroll’s original text than many of us are accustomed to from the familiar Alice in Wonderland. The set design was drenched in brilliant pinks and purples, anchored by a Roman numeral clock spinning seemingly out of control in the background. And in this telling, Alice does not simply chase the White Rabbit out of curiosity—she ventures into Wonderland to retrieve a blank book her sister has given her to fill with her adventures. Clever references to both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass appeared throughout, including a nod to the character of Time during the Mad Hatter’s tea party scene.
The blur between fantasy and reality is executed clearly here as well as morals of moderation, appreciation, and autonomy. All are clearly conveyed in his one-of-a-kind production. The implementation of characters from Alice’s real-life into her imagined one via fantastical alter-egos, as done with Dorothy for The Wizard of Oz, was also a key component to the plot of this production.
Just as I was enchanted when I first saw a Barter Theatre production of The Emperor’s New Clothes as a seven-year-old first grader, I remain captivated by the quality and imagination of every Barter production I encounter. Theatre has been a major part of my life as a columnist, and Barter has been central to that journey.
It is my fervent hope that future touring productions from Barter Theatre will continue to return to Wytheville. Live theatre—especially when made accessible to children—has the power to ignite imaginations and create lifelong memories. On this particular February evening, it did exactly that.
