Wonderland at the the Marquis Theatre

Wonderland, now in previews at the Marquis Theatre before an April 17, 2011 opening, is the latest musical from composer Frank Wildhorn.  Wildhorn is the composer of the long-running Jeckyll & Hyde and the very short-running Dracula, The Musical.  Dracula was one of the most unintentionally hilarious shows I ever saw on Broadway, so with a few drinks (for strength) I prepared myself for the journey to Wonderland.  It would turn out to be a very short trip.
In case it is not clear, I am not really a fan of Wildhorn's work.  I find his music to be derivative and at best destined for theme parks and show choirs.  Rarely do the songs serve or advance the plot in any way.  They are also usually the worst kind of synth-heavy "pop"-style musical theatre music.  Anyone who has endured a rendition of "This Is the Moment" (by David Hasselhoff or anyone else) will know exactly what I mean.  Wonderland is also burdened with schlocky pointless songs that stop the storytelling dead in its tracks.  The lyrics, by Jack Murphy, are equally and sometimes even more atrocious than the music. Murphy also had a hand in writing (along with director Gregory Boyd) the ludicrous book which manages to diminish and weigh down the delightful and rich Lewis Carroll stories by overlaying them with the uninteresting sitcom-esque concerns of a middle-aged mother.

The reason why my trip to Wonderland was cut short was because I left this show at intermission.  I already knew that everything would work out in the end (just like any good sitcom.)  The following are just a few of my observations from the show:

 The mother, Alice (played by Janet Dacal),  is under great stress and working long hours because she is the sole bread-winner for the family.  Her daughter and mother refer to all the money Alice makes at her job and how emasculating that is for her husband who is unemployed.  What is this high-paying job? Bronx public school teacher.  This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unlikely plot points that have been heaped upon the fantastic original Alice stories.

Alice's daughter, Chloe,  is young enough to have her mother and grandmother read books to her, but sounds like a 40 year-old when she sings.  Seriously.  Carly Rose Sonenclar, who plays Chloe has a fantastic voice, but it is incredibly mature sounding.  When she and Alice sing a duet, it is Chloe who takes the lower notes!  Surely, I can't be the only person who thinks this is kind of weird.  Casting (and music writing) for this show was done in a way that may serve the mediocre music, but does not really serve the storytelling.

"Advice From A Catepillar" sung by E. Clayton Cornelius was the only musical number I really enjoyed.

The set, lighting, and costume design is really lavish.  I hope the producers get to keep a few pieces of it when all is said and done to make up for all of the money they are surely going to lose on this production.

The cast is generally very strong, and certainly all have fantastic pop voices, but the storytelling in this show is a mess.  Thank goodness Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is such familiar material.  Without that backbone, it would be really tough to figure out what was going on in the show.

Wonderland was not an enjoyable adventure for me, but it could be appealing for lovers of Frank Wildhorn's music or people who value spectacle over substance.

Want to see for yourself?  Click here for tickets.