Jones's work on the earlier musical.īut while Spring Awakening offers a parable with sharp plotting, deep characters, and well-defined stakes, Alice by Heart is a vaguer fantasia. Even the choreography, by Rick and Jeff Kuperman, seems to draw inspiration from Bill T. As before, the cast is mostly made up of young contemporaries, with a pair of adults representing life's harsh realities to come. Once again, a source text from the late nineteenth century serves as a platform to explore coming of age, love, and loss. Faced with the darkness of her own world, Alice escapes into Wonderland, searching a beloved fantasy for the strength to get by in reality.Ĭomparisons to Sater and Sheik's previous work are unavoidable, not only because of Spring Awakening's huge influence on contemporary musical theater but also due to clear overlaps in the subject matter and execution. Alice Spencer (Molly Gordon) is one of a group of teenagers forced to take refuge in the tunnels of the Underground, where her friend Alfred (Colton Ryan) becomes sick. The result, directed and co-written by Jessie Nelson, is Alice by Heart, an experimental retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that frames Lewis Caroll's classic against the backdrop of the Blitz of London during World War II. Wilson MCC Theater-with the world premiere of a new musical from Spring Awakening co-creators Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. So it's no surprise that MCC has chosen to go big for its first production in the Newman Mills Theater-the main stage at the new Sater won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, the latter which he shares with Sheik, for Spring Awakening.It's not every day you get to inaugurate a stunning new theater.

The cast included Molly Gordon, Colton Ryan, Wes Taylor, Grace McLean, and Noah Galvin. With lyrics by Sater, a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson, and music by Sheik, the musical played Off-Broadway's MCC Theater in spring 2019. Set at the time of the London Blitz, Alice By Heart is a riff on the Alice in Wonderland story. Grammy-, Tony-, and Olivier Award-winning composer Sheik reunited with Krysta Rodriguez and Alex Boniello (both alums of the composers' Spring Awakening) to sing a selection from the musical. The discussion with Sater was moderated by Playbill’s Felicia Fitzpatrick prior to a performance from the musical. Published by Razorbill of Penguin Random House, the book hit shelves February 4. Two-time Tony Award winner Steven Sater appeared at The Strand book store February 7 to discuss his debut novel, Alice By Heart, the literary adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical he wrote with Duncan Sheik.

Alice by heart by steven sater