johnstonjames
If you love music hall theater, 'Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass' or you can't get enough of Meryl Streep, this entertainment is it.I saw this a million or so years ago on public broadcasting and always wanted to see it again or own a copy. so i was really happy that this became available to own.the whole cast is extremely engaging and funny, especially Meryl Streep who is hilarious and very light on her feet. her renditions of the many musical numbers are charming and witty and her solo moments like "There Was A Man Sitting On A Gate" are excellent. also check out Streep pantomiming falling down the rabbit hole, it's a riot. the rest of the ensemble cast is also side-splittingly funny. especially Michael Jeeter who is a total freak- out as the Doormouse and the baby. when Jeeter was on his tippy toes as the Doormouse i almost really lost it.for 'Alice' fans, the music hall adaptation here is extremely faithful to the Lewis Carroll stories which makes the unique and totally original approach even more fun.
justjake2009
Michael Jeter was not the Caterpillar, though he was the Duchess' Baby, the Dormouse and Bill the Lizard. He was an amazing character actor, and his work in "Alice at the Palace" illustrates it. I remember watching "Palace" when it first aired in 1981. I was 9, and I didn't get it. Now, at the ripe old age of 36, I'm a huge fan. The ensemble is simply top notch, from Meryl Streep and Rodney Hudson to Debbie Allen, Mark Linn-Baker (his Mock Turtle and White Knight are spot on) and Jeter.Other reviews of this production have been harsh. Most audiences prefer to have the story handed to them ala Disney. In the theatre, audiences are given more credit and expected to "fill in the blanks" with their imagination. That is definitely the case here. The actors, in the same spirit as the 1966 BBC version of "Alice", are not smothered or suffocated beyond recognition by their costumes. Instead they're allowed to use their bodies (wow, what a concept) to morph and melt from one character to the next. The result is breath taking.Now, here's something a little off topic but nonetheless important to mention. Why is it that, next to Michael Jeter's name in the cast roster, the word "Caterpillar" is misspelled and posted anyway, yet when I attempt to misspell it in the title of this post, the word is automatically spell checked and fixed? That makes no sense, but I suppose it fits with the theme of this film.
montydragon
I actually grew up watching this musical and it has been something of a family treasure. Unfortunately, our copy (taped one Saturday afternoon during NBC's Project Peacock) was incomplete (about a 30 second spot where someone accidentally changed the channel while recording).My whole family loved this musical and I would highly recommend it to all. Great music, great comedy. I'm not a huge Meryl Streep fan, but this is a great show to watch. She does a pretty convincing job of playing a young girl who has fallen down a rabbit hole and ended up in a very strange land. I believe this musical is a combination of Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland. Excellent.And if anyone knows where I can find a copy of this, let me know!
