Emery students, families, faculty members, and fellow theater enthusiasts, had the opportunity to be transported from reality to the mystical, mysterious, and enchanting world of Alice by Heart during the high school’s annual musical this February. For an hour and a half, the audience watched in awe as they observed the beautiful singing, entertaining dancing, and engaging acting that took place during this Alice and Wonderland-inspired production.
The show takes place in World War II-stricken London at the height of the Blitz: a merciless German bombing campaign. This tragedy led many of London’s citizens, including the characters of Alice by Heart, to take shelter in tube stations for safety. To escape the harsh realities of war, and the imminent death of her best friend Alfred, Alice allows her imagination to take her back into the world of her favorite novel, Alice and Wonderland. Audiences watched enchantedly as Alice floated around the mystical Wonderland world filled with interesting creatures, entertaining drama, and wonder. However, despite the seeming ease with which the actors were able to perform, months of hard work and dedication went into practicing and perfecting the many complex numbers performed during Alice By Heart.
Senior Evelyn Burt, who had the opportunity to play the leading role of Alice, never left the stage once during the entire performance. When asked about her experience preparing for such a taxing show, Burt explained “It took months and months of preparation, I spent hours learning my lines, practicing my songs, and memorizing choreography.” Burt goes on to share that, “getting ready for Alice By Heart was certainly difficult, but I loved every minute of it, performing just brings me so much joy.”
While Emery’s student performers and the show’s director, Jennifer Bauer-Conley, put 100 percent of their effort into every production, Alice By Heart was a uniquely special experience for all because Emery is one of the first high schools that has had the opportunity to put on this musical. Senior Natalie Burdine, performer and assistant director, touches on this idea, sharing that she “was thrilled to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be one of the first schools to put on such a magical show.” This opportunity allowed them to curate a production that was distinctively theirs. For this reason, simply being a part of the Alice by Heart cast and crew was an exceptional experience.
The show’s uniqueness made it an even more memorable adventure for the audience members, many, if not all of whom, had never seen Alice by Heart before. This show was one of Emery’s best as it received insurmountable levels of positive feedback. Head of School, Stuart Dow emailed the Emery community to share his positive review and encourage attendance. Students and teachers chatted about how much they loved the production in the hallways during the days following the show.
While Alice by Heart ultimately took immense effort from those a part of it, the performance looked effortless. The Emery Theater Department outdid themselves with this production, and it is exciting to see what they have in store for their spring production of Matilda.
