''Alice in Wonderland'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Henry Savile Clarke Henry Savile Clarke (14 February 1841 – 5 October 1893) was an English dramatist, journalist and critic. He produced and wrote the lyrics and book for the first professional dramatisation of ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''Throug ...

(book and lyrics),

Walter Slaughter Walter Alfred Slaughter (17 February 1860 – 2 March 1908) was an English conductor and composer of musical comedy, comic opera and children's shows. He was engaged in the West End as a composer and musical director from 1883 to 1904. Life ...

(music) and

Aubrey Hopwood Aubrey Hopwood (4 April 1863 – 25 October 1917) was a British lyricist of Edwardian musical comedy and a novelist and author of nonsense books for children. He co-wrote the lyrics for the musicals '' Alice in Wonderland'' (1886), ''A Runaway ...

(lyrics), based on

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's books ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

'' (1865) and ''

Through the Looking-Glass ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...

'' (1871). It debuted at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

in the West End in 1886. The piece, billed as "A musical dream play in two acts", achieved considerable popularity. At Carroll's request, Slaughter retained the old tunes in the parodies such as "Bonny Dundee".

Background

There were several amateur productions of ''Alice'' after the book's publication, and Carroll himself considered dramatizing the story for the professional stage. In 1877 he wrote to

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

(of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

) in an attempt to persuade him to write the songs for a musical production. Sullivan was interested in the idea and proposed that he would compose a score to Carroll's libretto. Carroll hesitated, partly at the high fee Sullivan suggested for his work. Wanting to know what he would get for his money, Carroll suggested that Sullivan first score a song or two. After this the proposed collaboration fizzled out. Cohen, Morton N.br>''Lewis Carroll: A Biography''
MacMillan (2015), Google Books, p. 434 Phobe Carlo Alice cast 1886

In August 1886 the dramatist and critic

wrote to Carroll asking to adapt ''Alice in Wonderland'' for the stage. Carroll gave permission but with several stipulations:

There are one or two ''wishes'' on the subject, which I will name for your consideration: but the only essential consideration is that I should have your written guarantee that, neither in the libretto nor in any of the stage business, should any coarseness, or anything suggestive of coarseness, be admitted. ... This piece ought to be an Operetta (like ''
The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'') and not a Pantomime.

Carroll was involved completely in the production from beginning to end, offering advice on everything from the adaptation of the novel to choosing the cast. He chose the child actress

Phoebe Carlo Phoebe Ellen Carlo (30 May 1874–1898) was an English actress of the late Victorian era. She is most notable for playing Alice in the musical '' Alice in Wonderland'' (1886), making her the first actress to play the titular character in a p ...

for the title role, bought her costumes at his own expense and sent her to the actress

Kate Terry Kate Terry (21 April 1844 – 6 January 1924) was an English actress. The elder sister of the actress Ellen Terry, she was born into a theatrical family, made her debut when still a child, became a leading lady in her own right, and left the stag ...

for lessons in elocution. Dorothy D'Alcourt, who played the Dormouse, was aged . The production opened on 23 December 1886 at the

in London. ''

The Theatre The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England. It was built in 1576 after th ...

'' described the piece as a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

but wrote in its review, "''Alice in Wonderland'' will not appeal to the children alone. ... Mr. Savile Clarke has done wonders. ... The play is beautifully mounted, and splendidly acted, Miss Phœbe Carlo being very successful as the little heroine... she played in a delightful and thoroughly artistic fashion, and in this respect she was closely followed by a tiny mite, Miss Dorothy D'Alcort, who plays first the Dormouse. ... Mr.

Edgar Bruce Edgar Bruce (c. 1845–1901) was an English actor-manager, appearing in comedies and later producing plays. He built the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1884. Life Bruce's first stage appearance was in 1868 at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in Liverpoo ...

, Mr. Walter Slaughter (who has written some charming music for the piece), and Mr. Savile Clarke, all deserve unstinted praise.""Footlight Notes, No. 371"
Information about the 1886 production, including photos, a programme and a review from ''The Theatre'', 1 January 1887, pp. 48-50 The piece was frequently revived over the next four decades.

Synopsis

Act I, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", is in two scenes: "A Forest in Autumn" and "A Glade in Wonderland". Act II, "Through the Looking Glass", consists of four scenes: "Through the Looking Glass"; "The Garden of Live Flowers"; "A Sea-Shore"; and "The Banqueting Hall – The Forest Again." A review in ''The Theatre'' summarised the story as follows: :The story runs glibly, opening with a chorus of fairies surrounding Alice asleep in a chair beneath a tree, from there we progress splendidly, making a new acquaintance with all our old friends, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the duchess with her Baby, the Cook with her reckless use of pepper, the Cheshire Cat with his remarkable smile, the Hatter, the Hare, and the Dormouse, who have their perpetual tea party, and treat Alice to conundrums and unconventional rudeness. Then comes a long and brilliant procession, which should fill Alice's heart with awe, if not with admiration, but our heroine is nothing daunted by this large crowd. "Why, they're only a pack of cards," she says, "I needn't be afraid of them?" and so she answers the sanguinary-minded queen of Hearts, in a reckless manner, and refuses to see heads knocked off in such profusion. She then dances with the Cards in a graceful

gavotte The gavotte (also gavot, gavote, or gavotta) is a French dance, taking its name from a folk dance of the Gavot, the people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné in the southeast of France, where the dance originated, according to one source. Ac ...

, and afterwards protects her old friend, the Cheshire Cat, from an undeserved execution. The Gryphon and Mock Turtle then appear, and Alice receives some hints as to a sea education, and the first act of the dream play for children ends with the trial of the Knave of Hearts for eating the tarts, in which Alice's verdict of acquittal is unanimously passed. :In the second act, Mr. Savile Clarke takes us to another book, ''Through the Looking-Glass'', and Alice is introduced to the chessmen and Chorus, who dance stiffly for her delectation, then the Red Queen gives her some advice after she has spoken to the live flowers, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee appear. She soon makes friends with these massive twins, and pleads hard when they determine to have a mortal combat, but all to no purpose, and so after she has witnessed the greedy Carpenter and Walrus devour their daily portion of oysters, she assists in arming Tweedledum and Tweedledee for the fray. The arrival of a Crow sends the warriors to speedy flight, and Humpty Dumpty appears on his wall, and so the play goes on until we see Alice once more asleep in her chair, and hear her wake to say, "Oh! I've had such a curious dream!"

Songs

Act I – In Wonderland

*No. 1 - Chorus - "Sleep, Alice, sleep as we circle around thee" *No. 2 - Alice - "How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail" *No. 3 - Alice - "'You are old, Father William,' the young man said" *No. 4 - Duchess - "Speak roughly to your little boy and beat him when he sneezes" *No. 5 - Alice & Cheshire Cat - "Cheshire Pussy thanks to thee" *No. 6 - Hare, Hatter and Alice - "The poor Hatter's very mad, so they say, so they say" *No. 6a - March *No. 7 - Gavotte of Cards - "King, Queen and Knave, here we are seen, dancing." *No. 7a - Entrance of Executioner - "Here comes the Executioner!" *No. 8 - Executioner's Chorus, with Queen and King - "He is the executioner" *No. 9 - Mock-Turtle - "Beautiful soup, so rich and green" *No. 10 - Gryphon - "'Will you walk a little faster,' said a whiting to a snail" *No. 11 - Alice - "'Tis the voice of the lobster I hear him declare" *No. 12 - Finale Act I - "'Not guilty,' I declare"

Act II – Through the Looking-Glass

*No. 1 - Chorus - "Here ranged in due order of battle we stand with Red King and White King and Queens on each hand" *No. 2 - Red Queen - "'Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe" *No. 2a - Entrance of Lily and Rose *No. 2b - Entrance *No. 2c - Exit *No. 2d - Waltz - Alice and Flowers *No. 2e - Hatter's Entrance *No. 2f - Alice - "Tell me why you look so wild and strange" *No. 3 - "Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee agreed to have a battle" *No. 4 - Chorus - "Here we go round the Mulberry bush" *No. 4a - Entrance of Walrus and Carpenter *Nos. 5 & 6 - Oyster Scene - "The Carpenter is sleeping, the butter's on his face" *No. 7 - Alice - "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall" *No. 8 - Chorus of Children - "Humpty Dumpty's fallen down, Humpty Dumpty, Humpty Dumpty's broke his crown" *No. 9 - Chorus - "The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the Crown" *No. 10 - Hatter - "When the wind is in the East, on new-laid eggs I always feast!" *No. 10a - Change of Scene *No. 11 - Chorus - "Sound the festal trumpets, set the bells a-ringing" *No. 12 - Finale - "Alice's health, long life and wealth, never a monarch so mighty was seen"

Supplementary numbers

* "Flowerland" - "Flow'rs awake from out your long repose, snowdrops peep from under Winter's snow" * "Naughty Little Bunny" - "When a rabbit's good as gold, always does what he is told"''Alice in Wonderland'' (1886)
British Musical Theatre database

Original cast (1886)

Act I – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Act II – Through the Looking-Glass

*Alice –

*White Rabbit/Red King – Master D. Abrahams *Caterpillar/ Unicorn – Master S. Solomon *Duchess/Lily – Florence Levey *Cook/White King – Anna Abrahams *Cheshire Cat/ Lion – Charles Adeson *Hatter/Tweedledum – Sidney Harcourt *Hare –

Edgar Norton Edgar Norton (born Harry Edgar Mills; August 11, 1868 – February 6, 1953) was an English-born American character actor. Early years Norton was born in Islington in London, England, on August 11, 1868, as Harry Edgar Mills, one of eight childr ...

*Dormouse/Plum Pudding – Dorothy D'Alcourt *King of Hearts/White Knight – Stephen Adeson *Queen of Hearts/Red Queen – Mdlle. Rosa *Knave of Hearts/White Queen – Kitty Abrahams *Executioner/The Carpenter – Mr. H. H. H. Cameron *Gryphon/The Walrus – Charles Bowland *Mock Turtle/Humpty Dumpty – William Cheesman Maidie Andrews Tatler 1904

*Rose –

Mabel Love Mabel Love (16 October 1874 – 15 May 1953), was a British dancer and stage actress. She was considered to be one of the great stage beauties of her age, and her career spanned the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period. In 1894, Winston ...

*Red Knight – C. Kitts *Tweedledee – John Ettinson *Leg of Mutton – Master Hood

Subsequent productions

The musical was frequently revived during West End Christmas seasons during the four decades after its premiere. London productions were mounted at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

in 1888, with

Isa Bowman Isa Bowman (1874–1958) was an actress, a close friend of Lewis Carroll and author of a memoir about his life, ''The Story of Lewis Carroll, Told for Young People by the Real Alice in Wonderland''. She met Carroll in 1886 when she played a smal ...

as Alice; the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

in 1898; the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

in 1900, with some new additional music by Slaughter;''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'', 20 December 1900, p. 5 the Camberwell Theatre in 1902; the

Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...

(1906);Johnson, Colin
''Alice in Wonderland''
the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 17 September 2016, accessed 30 September 2020 the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

in 1908 produced by

William Greet William Greet (1851 – 25 April 1914) was a British theatre manager from the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century. Originally a business manager for other theatre licensees in the 1880s, he branched out as an independent manager ...

; the Savoy in 1910; the Wimbledon Theatre in 1914; the Savoy in 1914; the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

in 1915; the Savoy in 1916; the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

in 1921; and the Savoy in 1927. Adult actors who appeared along with the mainly juvenile casts included

Irene Vanbrugh Dame Irene Vanbrugh DBE ( Barnes; 2 December 1872 – 30 November 1949) was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet into the theatrical profession and sustained a career for more than 50 year ...

as the Knave of Hearts (1888);

Ellaline Terriss Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Sh ...

as Alice and

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

as the Hatter (1900);'' The Standard'', 20 December 1900, p. 3

Marie Studholme Caroline Maria Lupton (10 September 1872 – 10 March 1930),Peter Bailey"Studholme, Marie (1872–1930)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press (2004), Retrieved on 27 June 2008 known professionally as Marie Studho ...

as Alice,

Alice Barth Alice Mary Barth (25 August 1848 – 18 July 1910) was an English operatic soprano who for some years was a member of the Carl Rosa Opera Company and who during the 1880s managed her own troupe, the Alice Barth Opera Company. Early life and ...

as the Duchess and the Red Queen, Stanley Brett as the Mad Hatter and J. C. Buckstone as Tweedledee at the

(1906);

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall ...

(1909, in a production conducted by Marjory Slaughter, the composer's daughter); and

C. Hayden Coffin Charles Hayden Coffin (22 April 1862 – 8 December 1935) was an English actor and singer known for his performances in many famous Edwardian musical comedies, particularly those produced by George Edwardes. Hayden achieved fame as Harry Sher ...

as the Hatter (1913 and 1921).''The Times'', 13 December 1913, p. 6; and 27 December 1921, p. 6

Notes

References

*Davenport, William ''A Dictionary of Drama'', Chatto & Windus, London (1904)

External links

Discussion of the musical
in ''The Broadview Anthology of Nineteenth-Century British Performance''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alice in Wonderland (Musical) 1886 musicals Lewis Carroll West End musicals Musicals based on novels Works based on Alice in Wonderland British musicals