What does it mean to grow up?
How do we deal with loss and overcome adversity?
What does grief and trauma do to the spirit?
Set in 1941, during the London Blitz, Alice By Heart takes us to an underground world of misfits and dreamers. We learn and grow along with Alice Spencer and discover that tragedy is a necessary tool to navigate discomfort and build resilience for life’s challenges. Alice wants to stop time and avoid the inevitable death of her best friend Alfred from tuberculosis. Her answer is to shield herself from grief by retreating into the familiar fictional world of Alice in Wonderland, her favorite story. She bends the story to her will and twists the London Underground members into the story. A story she knows by heart.
But no one can stop time, and she eventually accepts the hardest lesson of all: we all must step outside the refuge of fiction and into whatever is waiting for us. The ability to grieve is an essential skill that allows us to honor a memory and persevere. As Tabatha says, “Sometimes we overcome, you know, just by going on.”
It has been my privilege to direct this show with this cast. They have fully embraced the courage, honesty, and heart of this show. Many thanks to the creative team for ‘going down the hole and donning all their roles’ -- it wouldn’t be possible without you.
Lobs, let’s waltz all night!
Claire Chandler
