One of the most enduring works in Victorian literature is Lewis Carroll's 1865 "Alice in Wonderland" presented by Falls Church's Creative Cauldron in its newest production which has a Spanish title, too: "Alicia en el Pais de las Maravillas."
Big, flowery hats and wild headgear of many colors and designs, to wings and flying bats combine with music for laughs and lots of fun.
The show's huge cast includes about 30 youngsters (and some older ones, too) who speak a little of the script in Spanish which, for all the non-Spanish speakers members in the audience, is easy to follow.
Just the costumes alone (by the fabulous resident designer Margie Jervis) make going to the show worthwhile to see.
Most of the actors have dual, sometimes triple, roles ranging from a frog footman to flowers to a mock turtle, but Alice (Marie Solander or June Tuss, in alternating roles) carries the show with merry music by Creative's Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith.
The play opens with Alice and her big sister (Madeline Varho or Matilda Phillips) cradling the younger girl who drifts off to sleep, her slumber soon occupied by an unusual array of animals, er... are they people? (On Saturday night, the two "sisters" looked so much alike, I thought they must be real sisters!)
Alice's wacky dream takes her down a rabbit hole on an underground journey where she meets strange characters like the memorable Cheshire Cat (Varho or Phillips) who tells Alice, "if you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there" and warns: "We're all mad here."
The little wanderer comes upon an expressive mouse with a very long tail (Emerson Kelleher) who almost steals Alice's limelight with funny antics. (Emerson later becomes the cook who has a thing for pepper. Hmmmm.)
Then, there's a big, loooonnng caterpillar (Diana Allison) whose waving pink and green abdomen (on top in the caterpillar) is held together by two underneath supporters in constant motion. They join mushrooms of umbrellas with iridescent designs.
The mad hatter Whit Jenkins, who relished the role, testifies to the madness of the place. (A lot like the world we inhabit!)
Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Alec Goldenberg and Jonah Dennis) wear matching outfits of checkered pants, red hats, red suspenders and polka dot bow ties with careful synchronization of their steps for easy laughs and admiration.
Jessica Stein seemed to enjoy her role immensely as executioner while in the garden, everyone wears black leotards and long green gloves.
The cruel and demanding Queen of Hearts (Lenny Mendez, also, co-director) cries "off with her head!" more than once while her meek mate, the King of Hearts (Gus Knapp) sits quietly nearby, afraid to get out of line or utter a peep.
Meanwhile, the White Rabbit (Solander or Tuss) loves blowing her horn for important announcements, her up and down actions perfectly matched to the instrument's sounds.
When Alice wakes up, was it a terrible dream? Are these things she'll meet in her journey of life?
Creative's artistic director, Laura Connors Hull, co-directs, assisted on the creative team by James Morrison, lighting and projections; Nicholas J Goodman, stage manager and Lorien Jackson, assistant director/stage manager.
The show's chief sponsor is Destination Rwanda. This is another of Creative's Learning Theatre productions.
"Alice/Alicia" lasts about 75 minutes without intermission, through Nov. 24 on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and another matinee, Sundays, at 4 p.m. 410 S Maple Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046 at Pearson Square with plenty of lighted, free parking.