This spring, on March 13, 14 and 15, the Upper School musical “Alice by Heart” is set to take the Richard Perry Theater stage. “Alice by Heart” is a production unlike anything else that Poly Prep has ever done, exploring themes of loss and one innocent girl’s entrance to adulthood. With music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater—the creative team behind the hit musical “Spring Awakening”—and a book co-written by Jessie Nelson and Sater, this musical has gained popularity since its Off-Broadway debut in 2019. 

Based on the 1865 book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, “Alice By Heart” reimagines this classic tale through a darker lens, inspecting the manifestations of grief, friendship and loss through one’s imagination. Set in an abandoned Tube station during The Blitz of 1940, one teenage girl, Alice Spencer, escapes into her favorite childhood fantasy in order to stop time and spend her last few moments with her close friend, Alfred Hallam, who is quickly passing away from tuberculosis. Each character in the bunker assumes a “wonderland identity” as they are sucked into Alice’s favorite story, which she knows and tells “by heart.”

This year, I have the privilege of performing the role of the Mad Hatter—an iconically eccentric persona—and his real-world counterpart of Harold Pudding, a young but already severely traumatized soldier experiencing fits of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). ( Over the past couple of months, I’ve slowly been getting to know my character more and more: the way he speaks, what his intentions are, and how his past might affect the way he behaves. While the Mad Hatter speaks sulkily and behaves erratically, Pudding is constantly frantic, speaking quickly and yelling through short bursts of dialogue. In Pudding’s mind, he is still in the midst of war—constantly shouting lines such as “Duck!” and “Evacuate!” as if he were in imminent danger. However, the Mad Hatter’s only true intentions are to get Alice out of Wonderland, and if nothing else, for her to drink his tea. It has been a wild ride, escaping my comfort zone as an actor and figuring out how to approach this whimsical yet outlandish role, who hides undertones of hurt and trauma beneath his surface. The aberrant and frantic persona of Harold Pudding is not necessarily unique in the world of “Alice by Heart,” as many of the characters embody extremes of the human emotions. Such roles include the flamboyant but stern Duchess, the hyperbolized intoxicated Caterpillars, the drab and depressed Mock Turtles, the clueless and comical King of Hearts and the fiercely commanding Queen of Hearts. 

Performing Arts Faculty and the show’s director Mariko Watt explained the thought process behind the selection of this musical. Watt said that the “types of characters that were in it, and also the sizes of [those] characters” made her choose “Alice by Heart”— each role having its own moment to shine while maintaining a direct thread of story between all of them.

While the show primarily revolves around Alice and Alfred, they are introduced to many of the supporting characters mentioned above, each showcasing the character’s individual identities. Watt also shared how she was dazzled by the level of talent in this year’s performers, and that “[‘Alice by Heart’] is a really good show for people to show what they can do and be able to really grow into [their] character[s].”

Soleil Peña ’27, who plays the lead role of Alice Spencer, explained her experience. It has “been really great,” said Peña. “We alternate from dancing one day to vocals the next day and then acting out a scene we were just blocking. We’re doing all the things and we put them together.”

Rehearsals for “Alice by Heart” began in November and as this long process draws to a close, many cast members feel racked with both excitement and nerves for the performances. In the final two weeks before opening night, rehearsals are in full swing, made up of primarily full-length run throughs of the show, paired with sessions of notes and—to the dismay of our choreographers—the occasional review of a song or scene that should have been learned months ago. 

Above all, I have found a community in the cast of “Alice by Heart” different from anywhere else I’ve ever been. There has always been something beautiful to me about people coming together to celebrate something they love and getting to know one another on that journey. Being part of this musical has been about so much more than just putting on a show: it has been about stepping out of my comfort zone, making new friends, working on my own acting and vocal capabilities and an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love for my castmates. Rehearsals may be lengthy and exhausting, but at the end of the day, we always end up having shared a laugh or told a funny story. And more than anything, by the end of this process, I will get to look back at the experience I had alongside the people I shared it with, holding more confidence, spirit and a closer connection to them than before. It is up to each individual to decide what they will put into the process and what they want to gain from it.

This, I believe to be incredibly emblematic of the moral of “Alice by Heart.” Describing the lesson of the musical, Watt shared her perspective on Alice’s loss and adventures in Wonderland. “You could choose to be happy, you could choose to be sad, you could choose to keep going or moving on, or you could choose to give up—it’s just how you approach those moments,” she said. “You always have a choice.”