Alice in Wonderland Jr. CANCELED

Travel down the rabbit hole and join Alice, one of literatures most beloved heroines, in her madcap adventures.  Disneys Alice in Wonderland JR. is a fast-paced take on the classic tale. The ever-curious Alices journey begins innocently enough as she chases the White Rabbit.  Her adventures become increasingly more strange as she races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game!

** Individuals with wheelchairs or other mobility devices, please call 630.355.9212 to reserve tickets.**

From the Naperville Sun:

Kidz Kabaret gives aspiring actors a chance to shine in “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”

Every trip Alice takes down the rabbit hole this month at Center Stage Theater will be a little unique.
“Every time you watch the show, something’s different because you’ve got new kids doing it,” said Kandiss Hernandez, founder and chief executive officer of Kidz Kabaret,

The Naperville-based youth theater company will present “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.” March 12-31 at Center Stage Theater in Naperville. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. some Saturdays and Sundays; and at 7 p.m. March 23 and March 31. See the Kidz Kabaret website for the complete schedule.
With 480 children appearing in this musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic story, that means 30 different performances to give each child a chance to take their place in the spotlight with one of 16 main roles. When not performing as a main character, the students are part of the ensemble.

“Everybody registers to learn the craft of theater, and they all get a part,” she said. “I can’t teach confidence and self-esteem without giving your child something to work on, like a part. Being center stage. That would be like the kid getting to into the batter’s box and batting the ball or pitching. It’s about them at that moment, and that’s where the confidence comes in.”
Students in grades kindergarten through high school have been working hard the past eight weeks studying the craft of theater and rehearsing, Hernandez said. Four directors work with the students throughout the process.

“They’ve learned 8-10 dances, their own personal solos, and they’ve also learned all their lines and blocking,” she said. “It’s just the most incredible amount of information to put into a little kid.”
The show, she said, is like Disney’s animated version of “Alice in Wonderland,” along with songs including “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” and “Unbirthday Song.”

“It’s probably a little less confusing being a musical, that breaks up some of the crazy dialogue that Lewis Carroll had,” Hernandez said. “With the music it sort of enhances the madness of the show. It’s sort of a break from that.”
The stage musical brings the Disney cartoon to life, and not quite so dark, she said.

“The Johnny Depp ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is much darker and odder. But if you brighten that up and add musical numbers to it, it feels more childlike,” she said.
The story of Alice’s journey through Wonderland and her encounters with unique individuals like the Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Dodo Bird, Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts allows the students to flex their creative muscles as they develop their characters.

“I told my Alices the only reason ‘Alice in Wonderland’ exists is because Alice has a beautiful, wild imagination. And everything we see on stage is coming from her mind — vivid characters that are fun to get to know. Or scary to get to know. Or whatever, odd to get to know. Being weird is OK.

“This is a child’s mind and what she can create, I think having that highlighted on stage is a good thing to tell kids,” Hernandez said. “Your imagination will take you far.”