Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
Going Mad: Alice in Hollywoodland by Theatre Movement Bazaar, with Richard Alger as a writer, is another fun, unique and creative piece of theatre expression, produced by Odyssey Theatre and Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy. The Academy has bonded with the Odyssey since 2008 with the sole purpose of providing students an opportunity and experience working in a professional theater space. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, this two-week run gives us yet another fabulous production by the powerful LACC theatre training program, which never fails expectations. It has trained countless numbers of students who have gone on to successful careers in the entertainment industry.
'Theatre Movement Bazaar is a company dedicated to developing a unique style of theatre rooted in physical action. Established and led by principal artists Kronis + Alger, TMB's award-winning productions merge dance, theatre, music and cinema, heightening physicality, and remixing theatre forms to create provocative storytelling.' And they surely gave us all of this.
The enthusiasm and hard work of the actors under the precise and skillful hand of director Tina Kronis, delightfully molds the play into another piece of art. The expressive actions of seventeen actors, unusual super interesting music, and uniquely creative choreography, give us moments of magic and wonder during the scene changes and beyond. The spellbound scenes of hula hoops spinning and Alice making her way through them create the levels of challenges this poor girl needs to overcome. Alice (Norene Flowers), shines through the challenges of being a first-time show runner on a Hollywood film set when, on the first day of the principal photography, the order comes to change the beginning of the story, which puts the production immediately behind schedule and creates enormous pressure for Alice. The studio executive Regina (Victoria Davidoff), out of ego and power, is fully fixed on the idea of a new beginning, which throws the production off balance and into a melt-down, creating fear and panic. It seems that everyone has gone mad, and Alice's days are numbered.
The rest of the CAST members are Emma Baker (Mouse), Alex Bravo (Tuttle Lloyd, Max), Delfin Gamboa (Ocho), Tony Gonzales (Humphry), Tracy Chapman Kamenga (Mr. Leon), Kal Karnchanasej (Cuatro), Adam Lopatka (Hatter), Elizabeth Mackessy (Chessie), Manuel Marin (Tony Dumm), Cara Schell Sandefur (Blanche), Art Sandoval (Tony Dee), Markel Sealy (Cinco), Lucas Scheppe (Rex), Christian Venegas (Whitey Lepus), Sam Sooin Yang (Hare). Produced by the Odyssey Theatre by Beth Hogan, the creative TEAM fulfills the needs of the show requirements with simple, but effective Set Design (Maureen Weiss), Light Design (John A. Garofalo), Costume Design (Luz Stehelin), Sound Design (Rebecca Kessin, Tina Kronis, Richard Alger), Asst. Costume Design (Raquel Munoz, Johnny Hagan), Stage Manager (Jasmine White), Asst. Stage Manager (Chris Avedis), Prop Master (Tim Christian), and Graphic Designer (Peter Simpson Cook).
This production is made possible by a grant from the Los Angeles County's Creative Recovery LA initiative and funded by the Board of Supervisors through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Going Mad: Alice in Hollywoodland runs at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd from Thursday May 16th until May 25
th, 2024. The shows are only from Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm. A short run, but if you wish to dig into the phantasy, laughter, and magic, seeing this production will give you all of this.
The running time is 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission.
The tickets range from $15 - $25. To make a reservation, call 310-477-2055 or visit Odyssey Theatre.
For info on the production and upcoming workshops:
www.TheatreMovementBazaar.org
*** DEDICATION 'This production is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Al Rossi. A widely respected educator, director and actor, Dr. Rossi was the driving force behind the creation of the Odyssey Theatre and LACC Theatre Academy student outreach program.' His large heart and love for the theatre drove him to oversee
productions from 2009 on. Thank You Dr. Rossi. You are loved!