Alice& - dennismaganza.com PDF
Preview Alice& - dennismaganza.com
Alice By Dennis M. Maganza Adapted from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll 1 ABOUT ALICE The concept of this adaptation is total adaptability to the needs of each unique presentation. This is an ensemble production with actors playing a variety of roles. Cast size ranges from six to whatever your need or desire. Multiple actresses can actually share even the role of Alice, which was originally played by only one actress that did not change character. Each scene could have a different actress and prior to each scene, an identifying character prop, i.e. hair bow, apron, etc. would be transferred to another performer. The original play allowed the audience to pick from possible scenes, so that each show would vary. However, it is quite acceptable to simply select specific scenes as you create your own cutting. The recommendation is that GARDEN OF FLOWERS follows the opening, THE JABBERWOCKY opens Act 2, and THE WHITE KNIGHT precedes the finale. Costumes: Very simple. Costume pieces to identify characters. Avoid being too literal. It will inhibit the imagination. Props should also be suggested or pantomimed. Use the imagination of a child playing with a stick that becomes a gun, a pot that is a hat, a box that becomes a boat. Setting: Boxes of various sizes, depicting children’s alphabet blocks. Small platforms as needed. Again, simplicity will allow for more imagination. 2 Characters by Scene Breakdown Act I Act II (cont’d) Lewis Carrolling Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Players 1-‐6 Alice Alice Dum One player becomes Kitty Dee Narrator White Rabbit Narrator Sister Walrus and Carpenter The Garden of Live Flowers Dee Narrator Dum Alice Alice Tiger-‐Lily Players 1-‐6 (Oysters) Rose Walrus Daisy Carpenter Red Queen Narrator Pig and Pepper Narrator Humpty Dumpty Alice Humpty Dumpty Duchess Alice Narrator Advice from Caterpillar Alice Narrator Tree Alice Narrator Caterpillar Gardener 1 Youth Gardener 2 Father Roses? White Rabbit Cheshire Cat Narrator Cheshire Cat Alice Duchess Cat White Knight Tea Party White Knight Narrator Red Knight Hare 2 horses (players?) Mouse Players 1-‐6 Hatter Alice Final Scene Time Players 1-‐6 Act II Players 1-‐6 Alice Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum Queen of Hearts Humpty Dumpty 3 Act I Lewis Carrolling (Opening…blackout…lights raise slowly as childlike calls of “Alice” are echoed by the actors. Calls become louder and turn into taunts of “Salice.” Alice has been sleeping on the center box.) Alice (Awakes startled. She freezes. ) (Actors slowly appear from behind boxes as following verses are spoken gently.) Player 5 All in golden afternoon Full leisurely we glide; For both our oars, with little skill, By little arms are plied, While little hand make vain pretence Our wanderings to guide. Player 2 Child of the pure unclouded brow And dreaming eyes of wonder! Though time be fleet, and I and thou Are half a life asunder, Thy loving smile will surely hail The love-‐gift of a fairy tale. (Players begin to circle C box where Alice is now standing, using the same attitudes as will be used when lines are spoken later in the play.) Player 6 What’s your name, child? Alice My name is Alice. Player 5 Who are you? Alice I’m Alice. Player 6 Where do you come from, and where are you going? Alice I don’t know. 4 Player 3 We’re all mad here. Alice I don’t want to go among mad people. Player 1 Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Player 2 What does it matter where your body is, as long as you know where your head is? Player 6 Turn out your toes when you walk, and always remember who you are. Alice I’m Alice. Player 5 That’s a stupid name enough. Alice It is not a stupid name! (Repetition of “Salice,” under lines as they get louder and more taunting.) Player 5 All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Salice together again. Player 3 Tell us all you know about ravens and writing desks. Player 1 You know no more than if you were a bud. Player 6 May it please, your majesty, we were only trying… Player 4 Speaking of axes, chop off her head! Player 2 When I use a word extra, I pay it extra. Alice (Shouts, freezing the action) My name is not Salice! My name is Alice! (With each line players break from the circle and open up to audience.) 5 Player 4 A childish story take, Player 1 And with a gentle hand Player 6 Lay it where childhood’s dreams are twined Player 3 In memory’s mystic band, Player 5 Like pilgrim’s withered wreath of flowers Player 2 Plucked in a far-‐off land. Player 4 And, though the shadow of a sigh Player 1 May tremble through the story, Player 6 For “happy summer days” gone by. Player 3 And vanish’d summer glory – Player 5 It shall not touch, with breath of bale, Player 2 The pleasance of a fairy-‐tale. Players gently sing London Bridge melody under the following lines. Player 3 Once upon a time there was a girl named Alice. Alice That’s me! Player 5 She was a very ugly girl. Alice No, I’m not. I’m unique. 6 Player 5 Just kidding. Player 4 Who loved to play with kitten. Player 6 Meow. Acting like a kitten. Alice Kitty, Kitty. Player 6 Meow Player 1 They loved to play in the drawing room. (Players begin to pantomime environment of the room including looking glass, which is positioned on center box.) Alice My, how spacious. Player 2 In front of the huge fireplace. Alice My, how cozy. Player 6 Meow. Player 4 With a mantelpiece. Alice My, how Victorian. Players And a looking-‐glass. (Holy noises.) Alice My, how amusing. (Players giggle.) Alice (Scolding Kitty as a parent would a child.) Oh, you wicked, wicked little thing! Do you know I was so angry, Kitty, when I saw all the mischief you had been doing. I was very nearly opening the window and putting you out into the cold! And you’d have deserved it, you little mischievous darling! What have you got to say for yourself? Now, don’t interrupt me! 7 Alice (cont’d) I’m going to tell you all your faults. Number One: you squeak too much. Number two: you spilt the saucer of milk and made a horrible mess of things. Number three: you unwound the ball of wool while I wasn’t looking! That’s three faults, Kitty, and you’ve not been punished for any of them yet. You know I’m saving up all your punishments for the next week (suddenly frightened by the thought) -‐ – Suppose my parents had saved up all my punishments? What would they do at the end of a year? I should be sent to prison. Suppose each punishment was to go without dinner. I should have to go without fifty dinners at once! Oh, what a tummy ache I’d have! (Crosses to left to imaginary window) Do you hear the snow against the windowpanes, Kitty? How nice and soft it sounds! Just as if someone were kissing the window. (Returning to Kitty) Kitty, can you play chess? Kitty, dear, let’s pretend. (Players shout and readjust as if in an earthquake. One player steps out.) Narrator And here I wish I could tell you half the things Alice used to say, beginning with her favorite phrase – -‐ Alice (Very excited.) Let’s pretend. Narrator She had had quite a long argument with her sister only the day before -‐ -‐ all because Alice had begun with -‐ -‐ Alice (Addressing a player who becomes her sister.) Let’s pretend we’re kings and queens. Narrator And her sister, who liked being very exact had argued -‐ -‐ Sister We can’t! There’s only two of us, stupid. (Turns away.) Narrator And Alice had been reduced at last to say -‐ -‐ Alice (Dismissing sister’s comment) Well, you can be the Queen of Hearts, then and I’ll be the rest. (All cheer) Narrator And once she had really frightened her old nurse by shouting suddenly in her ear -‐ -‐ Alice Nurse! Do let’s pretend that I’m a hungry hyena and you’re a bone. (Nurse screams and faints.) Narrator But this is taking us away from Alice’s speech to the kitten. 8 Alice Let pretend that you’re the Red Queen, like a chessboard, Kitty! (Trying to make the cat sit up) Do you know, I think if you sat up and folded your arms, you’d look exactly like her. (Kitty screams and runs away) Narrator But the kitten would not fold its arms properly. Alice Well, if you’re going to be so miserably persnickety, I’ll find something else to occupy my time. (Turns to see looking-glass U.C.) The looking-‐glass! (Alice is on one side of mirror S.L. as a player mirrors her S. R.) I’ll tell you all my ideas about the looking-‐glass. First, there’s a room you can see through the glass -‐ -‐ that’s just the same as our drawing room, only the things go the other way. The books in the looking-‐glass are something like our books only the words go the opposite way. I know that because I’ve held up one our books to the glass and then they hold up one in the looking-‐glass. My, how curious it would be to live beyond the looking-‐glass. How nice it would be if we could only get through the looking-‐glass. I’m sure it’s got, oh, such beautiful things in it! Let’s pretend there’s a way of getting through into it, somehow. It’s getting all soft like gauze, so that we can get through. Why, it’s turning into a sort of mist now, I declare! It’ll be easy enough to get through -‐ -‐ (Alice and mirror image touch and reverse positions in mirror) Narrator And certainly the glass was beginning to melt away, just like a bright silvery mist. In another moment Alice was through the glass. Alice I’m through the looking-‐glass. (Lights change to alternating colors. Flashing. Characters run in circles around and through the boxes shouting.) Narrator Never once considering how in world she was to get out again. The hole went round like a spiral for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well. Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she has plenty of time as she went round to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next. Down, down, down -‐ -‐ would the fall never come to an end? Alice (Spinning center stage as other characters run about.) I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by this time? I must be getting somewhere near the center of the earth. I wonder if the people will walk on their heads. I’m sure they’ll be from a foreign country. Maybe they’ll be from New Zealand, or Australia, or maybe even China. Narrator And suddenly, she hit the ground. 9 Alice Ooh. That hurt my bottom. Well, after such a fall I shall not fear falling down the stairs! How brave they’ll think of me at home! (Players make alarm clock noises. Player jumps up and runs around Alice) White Rabbit Oh, my ears and whiskers. Narrator (Stepping forward) Suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. (Rabbit continues circling) There was nothing so very remarkable in that: nor did Alice think it so very much out of the ordinary it was to hear the Rabbit say to itself -‐ -‐ White Rabbit Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I shall be too late! Narrator When she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this. Alice I should have. Narrator But at the time it all seemed quite natural. Alice But I didn’t. (Rabbit stops circling and pantomimes watch.) Narrator But when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-‐pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind -‐ -‐ Alice I’ve never seen anything such as that before. Narrator That she had never seen anything such as that before, and burning with curiosity -‐ -‐ Alice Oh, my goodness! (Rabbit runs behind the S. L. box, Alice follows continuing around the box to C.) Narrator She ran after it. She was close behind it, when she turned to the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found herself in a long, low hall, which was surrounded by doors. Suddenly Alice found a little door about fifteen inches high. 10
Description:The list of books you might like
