Great acting, great scenery puts the ‘wonder’ in Wonderland
KIM COOL – Venice Gondolier – Our Town Editor Emeritus
VENICE — Who knew caterpillars could blow bubbles?
That is just one of the amazing and amusing things you will see in Venice Theatre’s production of “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened the Raymond Center and will play through April 27.
Yet again, Venice Theatre’s resident scenic designer Tim Wisgerhof has outdone himself with the magical wonderland set design and the team of volunteers who yet again have built and painted the set that not only covers the stage but wraps around the theater space to bring everyone in the audience into this magical adventure.
Directed by Kelly Duyn, the cast of youngsters plus a few adults brings the story to life with even more magic than Oxford University math lecturer Lewis Carroll would ever have imagined in 1862.
Charmingly directed by Kelly Duyn, who began as an acting student at Venice Theatre, the production is short — 45 minutes for Act One and 30 minutes for Act Two.
As for a caterpillar blowing bubbles, that is just one of many entertaining things one will learn during this production.
And then there is the Cheshire cat and that grin that made the entire audience grin all through this production.
As for Reese Erwin as Alice, this is another outstanding performance by a young person whose talent was nourished in this theater.
Every actor in this show, young to perhaps not so young, did more than memorize lines. They took all of us in the audience along for a wonderful adventure.
We get to experience Alice’s wonderful adventure with the white rabbit (Emma Wilson), Mad Hatter (Michael Onori), March Hare (Raul Fernandez-Calaires), the Dormouse (Emery Ledbetter and Milo Ledbetter), Frog Footman and Two of Spades (Retsinger), Cheshire Cat (Colette Wheeler), King of Hearts (Daniel Cole), Queen of Hearts (Miranda Ledbetter), the caterpillar/Juror (Hannah Randi), Five of Spades/Juror (Astri Fuller), Seven of Spades/Juror (Hannah Ferguson), Tweedle Dee/Juror (Grace Cowan), Tweedle Dum/Juror (Cora Clinch) and Humpty Dumpty/Jurer (Juliette Magillo).
Standby cast members include Caasey Clinch, Jana Petreski, Ella MacIntyre, Brennan Reisinger, Emilee Naletko, Milo Ledbetter, Elaina Albury, Summer Gannon and Emery Ledbetter.
With a BA in theater from the University of Central Florida and teaching experience in the U.S. and China, Duyn is back at the theater where she grew up and where her love of theater blossomed.
These days, she is the assistant director of Venice Theatre’s Education and Community Engagement Program — just one more aspect of why this theater is ranked the second best community theater in the United States.
Another Wisgerhof trademark in the Raymond Center — the stage floor is painted with intricate details that coordinate with the surrounding walls and stage set items.
Yet it has become all that and more thanks to VT’s managing director Kristofer Geddie, Wisgerhof, tech guru John Andzulis and so many others.
When you attend this wonderful show, and you should, read the list of the staff members in the program and all the volunteers on scenery crew, paint crew, costumes, props and more.
While there are some talented adults in this show, the young people and this theater’s educational programs offer additional proof that Venice Theatre deserves its national status.
The Raymond Center is behind the theater’s Tampa Avenue building. Enter from North Nokomis opposite the parking lot for Luna Ristorante.
Parking is adjacent to the building and beneath the KMI bridge.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. (There will be no performance on Easter Sunday, April 20.)
Photos by Renee McVety Photography
Alice in Wonderland, 2025
Alice in Wonderland, 2025
Alice in Wonderland, 2025
Alice in Wonderland, 2025