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Alice Under Water

by Kish Song Bear
review by Brad Rosenstein in SF Bay Guardian November 11, 1998

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Lewis Carroll gets sent down the rabbit-hole again in this conflation of his classic tale with Dario Fo's Alice in Wonderlessland, adapted and directed by Kish Song Bear.
Here Alice goes aquatic in the dark abyss of sexuality; as with many modern versions of Wonderland, this one goes hunting for the exploitative penis which must inevitably lurk near the golden innocence of girlhood dreams. I have yet to see any adaptation of Alice that could compare with the magical whimsy of the original; although this version's agenda couldn't be more different, even its early scenes, which are relatively faithful to Carroll, are glum and charmless. Bricine Mitchell gives an adeptly stylized physical performance as Alice that would not be out of place in Carroll's world, but even she seems to fade in the show's tiresome final scenes. The rest of the ensemble doesn't approach her level, although Juliet Tanner has some strong moments as the Queen of Hearts. Carroll's lovely tale was never meant to carry such heavy contemporary baggage; it's not surprising that this Alice quickly sinks under its own weight. (Rosenstein)

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