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Alice In Wonderland…with a twist

Alice In Wonderland…with a twist

Yahoo20-03-2025

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — If you like your fairy tales a little bit twisted, then get ready for 'Alice In Wonderland' like you've never seen!
Presented by The Assembly Of Phantasms, a Savannah-based performance troupe dedicated to creating mesmerizing and unforgettable dark theatrical experiences, this 'Alice' will push some boundaries.
'It's definitely a 21-and-up show,' says producer/director/adaptor Valerie America Lavelle. 'You'll see all kinds of performance genres: burlesque, drag, puppetry…there is something for everyone…who's over 21!'
Lavelle has selected local performers for the show. She says, while they will follow the general framework of the original Lewis Carroll story, she picked people who can bring the words to life, while infusing their own talents and enthusiasm.
'I love to see what people come up with for their parts. I give them a lot of free rein with their assigned roles.' As with many local performances, this is a labor of love. The actors choreograph scenes, make their own costumes, and collaborate with each other.
Valerie is excited about staging 'Alice' at Club One. 'I know that space and feel comfortable with what we can accomplish. Working with talented crew, like stage and set designer Erin Muller and sound designer Cami Nicole Hall, makes this such a great collaboration. And we've got a cast of familiar faces –Jeremiah Kizer is our White Rabbit! — and a lot of new faces too.
So get ready to go down the rabbit hole with Alice as she eats and drinks her way to a show like no other.
Catch 'Alice In Wonderland' with the Assembly Of Phantasms April 4th and 5th at Club One. Get your tickets here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Review: Giancarlo Guerrero steps into new Grant Park Music Fest role with a pair of genial and dynamic programs
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  • Chicago Tribune

Review: Giancarlo Guerrero steps into new Grant Park Music Fest role with a pair of genial and dynamic programs

Talk about a perfect storm. On Wednesday, Giancarlo Guerrero's much-fêted debut as principal conductor and artistic director of the Grant Park Music Festival was dampened by relentless rain. Audiences scrunched under the Jay Pritzker Pavilion fringe, only to play musical chairs dodging the structure's many (and ever-changing) leaky spots. When they weren't doing that, seat shuffles and squabbles competed with the evening's violin concerto. But if Guerrero appeared unflappable onstage, it's because he's been there before. He made his sophomore appearance with the orchestra in 2014 under nearly identical circumstances, down to the solo string showcase and contemporary American opener. Despite the lousy weather, that appearance impressed festival musicians enough to fast-track Guerrero to the top of their director wishlist a decade later. While last week's storm never erupted into thunder, musical lightning struck twice here with yet another exuberant, water-resistant stand by Guerrero on Wednesday, followed by a masterful account of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 on Friday. Wednesday's concert included two harbor works: 'An American Port of Call,' by Virginia-based composer Adolphus Hailstork, and Leonard Bernstein's 'On the Waterfront' suite. Conducting with his pointer fingers rather than a baton, and sporting a new goatee, Guerrero led a sparky, whistle-clean run of Hailstork's eight-minute curtain raiser. But when the music dissipated into quietude — recalling a boat drifting far off from shore, surrounded only by blue horizon — Guerrero guided the music with expansive ease. Bernstein's 'Waterfront' benefited from the same balance of gusto and intuitive pacing. Patrick Walle's horn solo up top sounded suspended in time, before an increasingly feral orchestra jerked us back to street level. 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