Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland has captured the popular imagination with the kind of ferocity that might have come as something of a surprise to author Lewis Carroll. The success of the book was a substantially life-changing event for him, but the continued fascination with the book in so many different forms over a century later would have seemed a bit much. It was, after all, designed to be sort of a nonsense fiction without much regard for traditional logic. Long-term commercial success would have likely seemed odd.
Recently, the children’s tale has been heavily adopted in popular adult culture. The latest film adaptation may have flopped, but the darker end of Wonderland that it examined continues to be quite popular. Outskirts Theatre recently did an original adult-oriented play in the Underground Collaborative that I’m quite sorry to have missed. This coming month, South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center returns to kid-friendlier territory as it presents Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR. The updated abridgment of Disney’s 1951 animated film is a fleeting, little one-hour affair that should appeal to even the smallest theatergoers.
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. runs Jul. 29 - 31 at the South Milwaukee PAC on 901 15th Avenue in South Milwaukee. Children and adults 5 and older are welcome to attend. For tickets and more information, visit South Milwaukee PAC online.
