Standing among a pile of rubble, Alice Spencer unearths a book—her most treasured story. As the air raid sirens wail we find that like so many others, the 15-year-old is forced to shelter in the depths of London’s Underground Tube Station and the one possession she has is her book.
The Tube Station became a refuge for millions who sought shelter from the constant bombings during The Blitz of World War II and within that space, Alice was able to escape the reality of what was happening around her even if it was for just one golden afternoon.
Alice’s story will come to life in the Coal City Performing Arts Center this week as the Coal City Theatre Department presents its first fall musical with a premier performance of Alice by Heart. A tale written by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson and inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The musical features music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Sater.
Thanks to special arrangements with Music Theatre International, Steven Sater, Duncan Sheik and Jessie Nelson, the theater department was able to secure the rights to produce the show prior to its general release for licensing.
Drew Cohen, president and CEO of Music Theatre International stated, “Since we announced our acquisition of Alice by Heart last November, we have received many requests from high schools, colleges and community theaters eager to bring this new musical to their stages.”
Jack Micetich, Coal City’s theater director, reached out to Sater directly to secure the rights to present the show and the writer was on board with sharing his tale with Micetich and his students. Now they will share it with audiences over three days—Oct. 12 and Oct. 14 and 15.
“We are honored to be selected to produce this show and our students are excited to be one of the first high school’s in the nation to bring Alice by Heart to the stage,” said Micetich, who was recognized last spring with the Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards Best Direction Award presented by Broadway in Chicago.
The musical tells Alice’s story as she and her friend, Alfred are forced to take shelter when their lives are turned upside down by war. When Alfred, who has Tuberculosis, is moved into the shelter’s quarantine his dearest friend does all she can to stay connected and encourages him to escape with her into the pages of the book.
And when the book is snatched away, Alice makes it clear she knows the story by heart and from there she takes Alfred down the hole to Wonderland.
The underground tube transforms into their Wonderland with those seeking shelter becoming the characters from her book—Mad Hatter, Dormouse, Caterpillar, Duchess, the Queen of Hearts and more.
The story brings forth the power of imagination and reminds us of the impact of love, loss and courage.
In announcing the upcoming licensing of the show with MTI, Sater, Sheik and Nelson remarked, "when we set out to create Alice by Heart, our aim was to construct a show which could touch young hearts.”
That is something that has certainly occurred with the Coal City cast, as each has expressed an excitement to bring the story to the stage.
“It presents unexpected challenges at every corner, and I feel I genuinely am coming out of this experience with new skills to use in future shows and life in general,” said Mason Natyshok, a junior, who appears as Dody/Duchess.
Senior Elaina Patten said she is “electrified” to be a part of this premier performance where she takes the stage in the title role of Alice. The role of Alfred will be played by fellow senior, Jared Counterman.
The 30-member cast also includes veteran performer Stephen Byers, Jr., as Harold Pudding/Mad Hatter. Byers has been performing in school productions for the past 9 years and has several additional credits to his name and was a Best Actor nominee in the 2023 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards.
Rounding out the cast are Isabella Byers, Chesterine Kuhel, Theo Fritz, Dane Noffsinger, Elsa Bunton, Ethan Scrogham, Brody D’Orazio, Bobby Rodriguez, Julian Micetich, Adaline Dowling, Logan Hausman, Melody Kinder, Amelia Fritz, Kilen Davidson, Eliana Chernesky, Mason Hamilton, Jordan Olson, Gianna Savarino, Austin Harding, Alex Carlson, Wyatt Chase, Alex Collins, Cora Armstong, Gavin Clubb, Caroline Childers, Maxx Kramer, Gabby Byers and Tristan Brncich.
“Our cast has pulled together to bring this show to the stage. So many of our kids are involved in multiple activities so they are running from practices and games to other events, so the time they have to be together on stage at the same time has been limited, and due to several injuries they’ve been forced to restage the show more than once. We know they are dedicated to the program, and they certainly have shown that,” Micetich said.
The student crew is composed of Alec Waliczek, Joe Watson, Hunter Gill, Cade Poyner, Buddy Widlowski, Jimmy Norris, Bridget Feeney, Ben Watson and Drake Harden.
The cast is directed by Micetich, with vocal direction by Shanan D’Agostino and choreography by Hailey Rose Kasky and Kim Scerine. The creative team includes Ann Gill, co-producer; Sophiya Williams, production assistant; Celeste Sheridan, scenic artist; Stephen Menard, scenic design and Jimmy Poynton, sound engineer. Micetich also serves as the costume and lighting designer.
Alice by Heart will open at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12 with additional performances at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. Reserve seat tickets can be purchased on-line at bit.ly/CCTDTickets or at the door beginning one hour prior to each performance. On-site sales are cash only.