MCC Theater celebrates the official opening of the new musical Alice By Heart in its new uptown theatre February 26. The show, which re-sets Lewis Carroll's story in World War II London, reunites the Tony- and Grammy-winning creators of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, with director and co-writer Jessie Nelson (Waitress).
Alice By Heart follows teenagers Alice Spencer, played by Molly Godron, and her dear friend Alfred, played by Colton Ryan, as they journey down the rabbit hole in an attempt to escape their harsh, violent realities. The new musical explores the poignancy of first love, coming to terms with loss, and what it means to find the courage to move forward.
Rounding out the company are Mia DiLena, Zachary Downer, Noah Galvin, Zachary Infante, Andrew Kober, Grace McLean, Nkeiki Obi-Melekwe, Catherine Ricafort, Heath Saunders, and Wesley Taylor. Ari Groover, Michael Hartung, Andrew Mueller, and Natalie Walker are the understudies.
Performances of Alice By Heart began January 30 in MCC's Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space.
The production features choreography by Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, scenic design by Edward Pierce, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, hair, wig and makeup design by J. Jared Janas, orchestrations by Sheik, additional orchestrations by Simon Hale, music direction and vocal arrangements by Jason Hart, and casting by Telsey + Company/Bernard Telsey, CSA, Rebecca Scholl, CSA. The production stage manager is Davin DeSantis and the stage manager is Jason Pacella.
Alice By Heart had a developmental workshop at New York Stage and Film as part of last summer’s Powerhouse Season at Vassar College.