AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL ADVENTURE FOR THE STAGE IN ONE ACT
A FULL PRODUCTION PACKAGE, INCLUDING PLAY SCRIPT, ORCHESTRATED MUSIC TRACKS AND PIANO SCORE
AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PERUSE SAMPLES OF THE MATERIAL
This version of the famous Lewis Carroll tale, featuring original music and lyrics, awaits your discovery. Here's what others have written:
"...The lively musical
numbers include the calypso-like COO-COO and HAPPY SUMMER DAYS,
which reminds us all to treasure the days of our youth.
Sirotta's music and cute lyrics captured the spirit of each of the characters..."
— Eileen
Siegel, Staten Island Advance, Staten Island, NY
"...just wanted to let
you know how much we loved working on and performing your Alice in Wonderland
for our April holiday workshop. It was such a joy and the kids and audience
just loved it. The scenes were great to work on, great lengths for working with
kids and the music was fab..."
"... it was the music
that gave the Ft. Collins Children's Theater production of "Alice in Wonderland"
its most unique flavor. Sirotta can be credited with composing music that straddles
the fence between theater and concert. It was unusually textured instrumentally,
considering the lyrics had a particular story to tell. This felt like an upgrade
in the quality of music over other kids' productions in memory."
— Tim
Van Schmidt, Publisher and independent columnist, Fortcollinslife-times.com, Ft. Collins, CO
"... ALICE was incredible. Your music is being hummed by a cast of 60... Thank you, Michael for so much joy!"
— Lynda Sharpe, Drama Director, Middleton High School, Middleton, WI
"... I just wanted to let you know that we had a very successful run of Alice in Wonderland!!! ...I had so many wonderful compliments on your music... Thank you again for creating such a beautiful show and giving me the opportunity to do it!"
— Heather Darrah, City of Kirksville Aquatics and Recreation, Kirksville, MO
Video Excerpt: The Queen of Hearts
(move your cursor over the image to display the controls)
Ft. Collins Children's Theatre production, November 2008 This clip features Deb Note-Farwell as the Queen and Bradley W. Handley as the King
with Sara Kowalski as Alice and Teal Jandrain as the White Rabbit
Cheshire Cat: Try...(indicating both
directions at once)...THAT
WAY!
Michael Sirotta's Alice in Wonderland is a
musical/operetta based on Lewis Carroll's well known dream-adventure novella.
Written for Kids on Stage of Staten Island (a New York City childrens' theater
program), but suitable for performance by professionals as well as by middle
and high school aged youngsters, the show features an original musical score
with original lyrics, and is youthful in spirit, but sophisticated enough to captivate adults. This rendition, with a few alterations and abridgements, is true to Lewis Carroll's original story line and characterizations.
The music, which ranges in style from pop to opera (without
operatic vocal requirements) expresses the humor, drama and emotional power
of the beloved tale and brings to life its fantastical elements. In addition
to the songs, the score includes a wealth of descriptive incidental music, underscoring
dialogue, choreography & scene transitions. Sirotta's score of vocal and incidental music accompanies the action with cinematic intensity, thus participating in the storytelling.
The production is in one act and runs approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.The size of the cast is large, but flexible (about 34 if you include all the 'bit' parts - larger contingents can be accommodated by augmenting the choreographic and larger choral numbers with additional personnel). A unique feature of this rendition is the employment of five similarly costumed actresses to share the role of Alice (that's right, 5 Alices! — although, it would be possible to adapt the script so as to merge those roles into that of a single performer - or fewer Alices- if a producer/director would prefer that). Actresses of various sizes or complexions can be cast as "Alice", which will accommodate the character's growth and shrinking spurts for specific scenes as well as emphasize the fact that the character undergoes changes. And when 'Alice' is most confused, or finds herself in intense transformational situations, all 5 'Alices' appear on stage simultaneously, highlighting the psychological implications of the "personality disorder" of her dream state...
(song lyric) Caterpillar: Who are you?
(Alices 1,2,3 & 5 entering & joining #4, then exiting)
All Alices: Who am I? A simple question, but in truth, sir, I cannot reply.—
Who am I?
(Alices 1,2,3 & 5 exit, leaving #4 alone) Alice #4: Let me assure you if I only knew —
I'd tell you.
Likewise, the role of the Cheshire cat is shared by two performers, enabling creative stagings of the cat's vanishings. For a complete casting break-down, please
click here:
Whether your company has meagre or elaborate production resources available, you will find producing this musical Alice to be a rewarding experience for all - it is adaptable to a range of performance situations and has been staged in venues ranging from gymnasium basketball courts to 2000 seat high-tech theaters.
CONCERNING THE MUSIC
The score to Alice has been digitally orchestrated
using symphonic, guitar, and percussion samples, as well as exotic synthesized
sound which enhances the story's magical aura. All accompaniments are recorded
as .mp3 tracks, playable from CD, computer software (such as iTunes), or mp3
players, providing a ready-made accompaniment for performances and rehearsals. This is the recommended method of accompaniment at present (along the lines of MTI's "Junior" series). However, employment of a musical director
or a person with a strong musical background is recommended for the rehearsal
process, since the music is substantive and replete with harmony parts for
the ensemble numbers (young folks who can sing can usually manage the harmonies
with adequate coaching). For teaching purposes, and for guidance in the application
of harmonies, timings & cues, a piano/vocal score of the music (94 pages, with
orchestrational cues/suggestions) is included with the full production package.
The piano score is a complete rendering of the basic music of the tracks and could be used to accompany a performance without the use of the tracks if that is what is desired by the producing entity. Also, enterprising, creative musicians are welcome to add a live layer to the tracks using the piano score, or play along with the piano if the tracks are not used(much of the musical magic, however, lies in the recorded orchestrations).
All script & music materials are downloadable or can
be shipped to you.
Please scroll down or click HERE
to access audio examples of the music:
A perusal kit is available upon request by download for a $15.00* fee. For
an additional $15.00** these materials will be shipped to you as print-outs (script as a spiral-bound book) and
a music CD disk. The perusal kit includes:
A script of the play, 50 pages, including lyrics, vocal "sides", casting, production
notes (in .pdf*** format, if downloaded).
A set of 10 demo tracks with recorded vocals on CD (in .mp3 format,
if downloaded). This includes all the songs
- with the composer singing all the parts (unsuitable for accompaniment
purposes). An instrumental movement piece is also included (no other incidental music is included in the perusal set).
A copy of the licensing agreement
FULL PRODUCTION (Stage me!)
The purchase price for the complete production kit
is $255. This includes all downloadable materials and licensing fees. The license permits an unlimited number of performances within
the time frame of one month. For an additional $25.00 materials & shipping charge**,
the kit can be shipped you as CD's and print-outs (including a spiral-bound
copy of the 94 page piano/vocal score, formatted as a book. The script will be shipped as single-sided pages for easier duplication for your cast). The kit includes:
Xeroxable script, 50 pages including lyrics, vocal "sides", casting, production
notes and music tracks cueing guide, (in .pdf*** format, if downloaded).
30 accompaniment tracks, recorded in high quality audio,
including all songs and incidental music (shipped as a CD or downloadable
mp3's).
A piano-vocal score, 94 pages, including harmony parts, cues, incidental
music & orchestration cues/suggestions (shipped as a spiral bound book, or
a downloadable pdf***).
The set of demo tracks of the perusal package, if not ordered previously
(shipped as a CD or downloadable mp3's).
In addition, SirMuse will offer free consultations (by email or phone)
to purchasers of the full production who have questions or problems regarding
the implementation of the material. Also, for a modest fee, SirMuse can re-master
any of the accompaniments to alter the key, should vocal range problems arise
in your production.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Payment may be made by check or money order sent to an address provided by email communication and also printed on the license contract provided with the perusal package. Currently direct payments by credit card are not accepted, but another option for payment (this method is recommended) is to use PayPal, the internet-based monetary transaction service. Using PayPal insures a secure and speedy transfer of remittances, plus, at PayPal, you may use your credit card to make your purchase. PayPal also enables an efficient method of payment for international customers who wish to pay in their own currency*. Contact msirt@sirmuse.comfor more details on the use of PayPal.
* All stated prices reflect the fees for US customers. Additional charges will apply for international customers who wish to pay in a non-US currency or through a non-US bank. This includes international PayPal transactions.
** The
shipping and materials charge is based on US postal rates. Additional charges will apply
for international orders and also for expedited shipping, if requested.
*** For international customers who wish to download and print out their script and score, please note that pdf files of the material formatted to the A4 (ISO 216) international paper size standard are available to you upon request. Hard-copy materials that are shipped overseas will be sized in the US Letter (8.5' X 11") paper format.
DOWNLOADED ORDERS
Customers who opt for downloading their materials will be able to retrieve their purchases via web browser from web site URL's (addresses) that will be forwarded to them by email upon receipt of payment (and a completed license form, when ordering the full production).
If you are interested in producing
this version of Alice in Wonderland and wish to order the perusal or
full production package, or if you have additional questions, please contact Michael Sirotta (the composer/lyricist), at:
Duchess:
... Now, here, Mary Ann, is the baby. Take good care of it and...
Alice: But I’m not Mary Ann!
Duchess: Oh, I quite understand. But remember
the old saying..
Cook (pontificating): ...
“Be what you would seem to be!” Or, if you’d like
it put more simply: “Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise
than what it might appear to others that what you were, or might have
been, was not otherwise than: what you had been would have appeared to
them to be ... otherwise!”
The first three links below will lead you to pages where
you can sample some of the songs and peruse the lyrics. These audio samples
are from the set of demo tracks included in the perusal package (see "Purchase Options", above). All sung and spoken parts in these examples are performed by the composer/lyricist.
This first sample is a 7 minute sequence that commences near the opening of the show. It incorporates three songs in a continuous track: "Daydreams, White Rabbit", and "Falling", and demonstrates the cinematic, storytelling aspect of the music.
The next two links will demonstrate some of the show's
incidental music.
(these links will open new browser windows which may be closed when you are
done)
First, the music for the Cheshire Cat's forest (Alice lost):
