This month, I sat down and interviewed the cast of the upcoming school musical, Alice By Heart. I interviewed Elizabeth Mauldin (Alice), Dylan Lucas (Alfred/White Rabbit/March Hare), Allison Fantley (Red Cross Nurse/Queen of Hearts), Izabella Rainaldi (Tabitha/Cheshire Cat), and Sam Trujillo (Angus/Caterpillar). The first question I asked was, what’s one word to describe how you felt when you got the part? In the order above, the cast members replied with: elated, cheeseburger, overjoyed, ecstatic.
The second question I asked them was, If you could play any other character, who would it be? Izzie claimed that she would want to be Cheshire Cat because, “she understands grief in such a deep and powerful way.” Dylan said, “I would want to be Caterpillar, he’s got such a cool vibe and a great singing part.” Alison said, she’d want to play Cheshire Cat or the Mad Hatter. Izabella said, “That’s a tough question. I think I’ll go with the Duchess. She’s a ridiculous and dramatic character; she would be so fun to act!” Finally, Sam said, “Alfred/White Rabbit because it seems like the characterization would be a lot of fun, due to the amount of times he switches characters throughout the show.”
Next, I asked the cast members to give us a run-down of their characters to get a better understanding of them. Izzie answered, “Alice is a girl who does her best to make everyone feel like it’s all going to be okay, even if it hurts her more in the end.” Dylan said, “Alfred’s a young adult boy dying of tuberculosis who only wants to finish the story he and his childhood best friend, Alice, used to read together.” Alison replied, “The Queen of Hearts hates Alice because she feels that Alice is ruining her Wonderland and her control over the subjects. Similarly, the Nurse keeps trying to keep Alice away from her best friend, who is dying. Both characters are really fun to play and the Queen has some awesome songs!” Izabella said, “My character is Tabatha, a street-tough girl who’s not afraid to speak what’s on her mind. Her Wonderland counterpart is the Cheshire Cat, who guides Alice with her purr-plexing riddles. Sam said, “I am playing Angus/Caterpillar and he’s just a funky guy that say’s confusing things.”
For this last question, I conjoined all of their answers. I asked, why should people come see Alice by Heart? From what I gathered, this show is unique and has a memorable plot with a beautiful message. It’s a show about growing up and the grieving process, so it’ll touch a lot of hearts. Even though you may be getting older, you must keep the child in you alive. Don’t miss out on the magical experience of Alice by Heart! Get your tickets at Hawktheater.com and step into a world of wonder and enchantment. It’s a journey you won’t want to miss! Show’s will be December 12th, 13th, and 14th!
