On Theater: Children’s classics combine on Newport Theatre Arts Center stage

By Tom Titus

Aug. 9, 2017 11:10 AM PT

The cross-pollination of popular children’s stories isn’t exactly new (South Coast Repertory’s youth players opened “Into the Woods” this weekend), but the combination of “The Wizard of Oz” and “Alice in Wonderland” at the Newport Theatre Arts Center certainly opens a new dimension of the practice.

Entitled “Dorothy in Wonderland” and created by Brian D. Taylor (book) and Bill Francoeur (music and lyrics with Scott DeTurk), the show takes major characters from “Wizard” and deposits them in downtown Wonderland where both Dorothy and Alice share a common goal — to get the heck out of there and go back home, all the while trying to sidestep a bloodthirsty queen screaming “Off with their heads!”

It’s an extremely ambitious effort with a huge cast of mostly young people, plus a few adults to furnish needed depth, but the creative energy of the performers, not to mention their colorful costumes, make the show worthwhile, especially for younger audiences (my two granddaughters loved it).

Director Sharon Jakubecy Klehm has taken on the Herculean task of merging these two plot lines into a cohesive package with the assistance of musical director David Dilorio and choreographer Erica Den Hartog. Costumes are uncredited but impressive.

Both the plucky Dorothy (Breea Hayes) and the charming Alice (Skylar Christensen) turn in fine performances, while elder actresses Kip Hogan as the bumbling wizard and Lorraine Winslow as a bubble-blowing caterpillar add needed dimension.

The standout of the cast is Brianna Dilorio as the menacing Queen of Hearts, not only commanding the stage but, at last Sunday’s performance, kick-starting the second act in the absence of an errant musical cue. Another shining light is Caitlin Roum as the lovable good witch Glinda, while David Albee impresses as the sure-footed Mad Hatter.

The story itself isn’t the show’s primary attraction. Some of the plot ventures into pure silliness, such as the rigged croquet match and the Tweedle Dum-Tweedle Dee twaddle. The interpretations by these youthful performers are the true selling points.

One negative aspect is the length of the Newport engagement. The final performance will be given today in front of what should be a packed house.