This winter, Lake Region’s theater department will again be putting on a musical! Recently, I’ve had a chance to chat with Ms. Pastel about this upcoming event. She introduced to me a show called “Alice by Heart,” which we talked a bit about. This musical takes place during World War Two in a bomb shelter, during the Blitz of 1941. Alice, the main character, accompanies her friend, Alfred, who’s dying of tuberculosis. She attempts to distract them both from the harsh reality they’re facing by reading to him the story of “Alice in Wonderland.” As she’s reading, the book is taken away, and Alice has to improvise. She begins to recite the story by heart. Throughout the retelling, Alice, Alfred and others in the bomb shelter turn into characters from the book. Due to this, Alice is forced to immerse herself into a story that explores heavy topics such as the stages of grief, love, and facing the harsh reality they are trapped in. Much like in this classic book, she will have to embrace growing up and accept the change that comes with it, applying her own circumstances to the lessons she’ll learn.
As I was discussing with Ms. Pastel, she put it like this, “This show is very intense, and unlike anything we’ve ever done.” Despite this, she’s very much looking forward to putting on this dark and twisted, but wonderful production. If you are interested, stay tuned for audition dates and times. There will be four performances in February, and she hopes to see you all there!
