Dennis Gaviola

Six o'clock on the dot...it's always tea time in Wonderland!

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ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<p>Repertory Philippines has officially started its run of Alice in Wonderland, RTYA&#x27;s musical for 2025. Lucky enough to be invited to the preview, I saw firsthand what they had to offer to the public last August 21, at the Repertory Eastwood Theater. In Rep’s history, this marks the third time that they have presented this Lewis Carroll classic. Consistent, however, with their thrust of serving fresh, out-of-the-box material, this is not a restaging. The musical on display is a relatively new adaptation with music, book, and lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. Only a handful of companies have performed this version since its launch in 2022.</p><p>Handed down from one generation to the next—not just in books but in more than thirty stage versions and countless films—Alice has become a kind of universal coming-of-age tale enjoyed in different packages. Having been part of the cast in Repertory&#x27;s 2013 staging as the Butterfly gives me certain expectations for this staging. This type of production requires a high level of creativity to break the fourth wall and reach the audience&#x27;s hearts. So the question is, how does this version resonate with its intended audience, the young and the young at heart? Curiouser and Curiouser.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com/api/upload-raw/20250906170924/a86f8b5dc06fd64e8d9ed2b17417a711d0ec4fe39e6563d843e12a8b57e9b39a.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The White Rabbit, played by Steven Hotchkiss, leads Alice down the rabbit hole. <em>Image courtesy of Erica Marquez Jacinto</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Down the Rabbit Hole</strong></div><p>The curtains open to reveal Alice and her sister reading a book together. Utterly bored and frustrated by the lack of color and pictures, Alice exclaims that a book with illustrations would make much more sense. At that moment, their mother appears to announce that the adults will be joining them for tea and a game of croquet. Overjoyed, Alice insists she is old enough to join them. However, when her request is rejected, she sulks and returns to her book. Suddenly, the stage magically unfolds like a storybook, revealing a bit of Wonderland. The White Rabbit springs to life and leads her down, down, down the rabbit hole, where she encounters a cast of characters who will help her find her way. The Cheshire Cat, the Mock Turtle, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Queen of Hearts, and many more colorful characters help the heroine unravel the mysteries of growing up and growing wiser.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com/api/upload-raw/20250906170924/45db0e1650d0e83c0e541cd8bd42c0ff90fce802c9a30bffde74738bd41617c0.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Cheska Quimno as Alice with Vino Mabalot as the Mock Turtle. <em>Image courtesy of Erica Marquez Jacinto</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>A Mad Mix of Music and Dance</strong></div><p>In this staging, Repertory succeeds in a winning combination of heartwarming moments and alluring aesthetics. The storytelling was far from flat, what with all the extra skills thrown into the basket. The dancing had ballet, tap, an array of costume-reliant choreography, and very physical comedic movement. The choreographic staging of Steven Viñas was often chaotic, but it was a beautiful mess of colors and motion. The stage was filled to the brim with a leaping ballerina butterfly, flowers blooming and swaying with the wind, decks of cards on tap duty, and Alice dancing at the center of it all. Almost every scene was picturesque, with the cast’s energy sustaining their beauty. The music was just as vivid, moving between rhythm and blues, reggae, and classic ballads. I almost expected a rap sequence to be included. Hershee Tantiado and Phillip Domingo’s costumes were hit and miss for me, but overall, they helped establish the maniacal, mad characters in the musical. John Batalla’s lighting, which illuminated the dancing and singing, completed the aesthetic. Altogether, each scene seemed like a page from a mandala coloring book, with all the shades of the rainbow represented.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Off With Their Heads (and Into the Spotlight)</strong></div><p>The cast did justice to the eccentric characters they were given. My standout performers include seasoned Rep artist Steven Hotchkiss, who was outstanding as the White Rabbit. He was wonderfully jittery, jumpy, and eloquent. Gerhard Krysstopher Pagunsanas as the Mad Hatter was deliciously good, from his very first scene offering Alice a bite of his sweets to the hilarious portrayal as hostess of the tea party. The Mock Turtle, played by Vino Mabalot, won me over with his slower-than-slow delivery of jokes and his sweet, tender singing. Pinky Marquez, as the Queen of Hearts, was expectedly witty and delightfully mean.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com/api/upload-raw/20250906170924/9024a3927744ca07e5124fcddac05d7962547308f20b8271fc332ef164ff5399.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Gerhard Krysstopher Pagunsanas as the Mad Hatter. <em>Image courtesy of Erica Marquez Jacinto</em></span></span></span></div><p>Of course, we need to discuss Cheska Quimno, who took on the role of Alice. This is her first-ever lead role, and boy, did it demand a lot. As Alice, she was in every scene, singing and dancing throughout. With 100% stage time, it was a tall order for someone debuting in the spotlight. Thankfully, she had an armor of classical training, both in singing and in dancing. She succeeded in leading the audience on a sweet journey of discovery. However, having seen her very first performance with an audience, I believe she has much more to offer in the future. She needs a classic Lewis Carroll plot twist; she needs to drink a potion of confidence so she can recognize her own strengths and truly enjoy her onstage moments. Just a few more drops of cockiness, naughtiness, and bravura will do the trick.</p><p>Kudos to veteran director Joy Virata and assistant director Cara Barredo for continuing the legacy of uncovering the heart of every story. The staging was commendable, and while the achievements of the cast should not be downplayed, it was the intentionality of the material that helped this musical connect with its audience.</p><p>Equally memorable were the scenes featuring the Mad Hatter and the Mock Turtle. In the tea party scene, when Alice attempts to join, the Mad Hatter and his companions retort, “No room! No room!” They proceed to change the rules and mock Alice. Yet, she stands her ground, asking questions and countering their attempts to belittle her, ultimately sharing a cup of tea with the Mad Hatter as an equal. Everyone deserves a seat at that table, right? </p><p>In another scene, the Mock Turtle guides Alice and sings, “It may take a while, but you’ll get there. What’s the rush? Don’t hurry; there’s so much to see on your way, and you might learn something new at each turn. Slow down and enjoy each new day&quot;. While the song advises Alice and the youth not to rush into adulthood, it resonated with me as an adult, reminding me to enjoy and smell the flowers along the way.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com/api/upload-raw/20250906170924/2acf06f04623e0f9a7104bbec2a1caecf27dd7751111dc4bde7bfafc017c3616.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Left to right: Johann Parungao, Gerhard Pagunsanas, Cheska Quimno, and Aya Eckstein in RTYA&#x27;s Alice in Wonderland. <em>Image courtesy of Erica Marquez Jacinto</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>A Sweet Bite of Life</strong></div><p>So—will this Alice stand out from the rest? Absolutely. It doesn’t just retell the story; it invites us to sip from Wonderland’s teacup, even if the party is a little mad. More importantly, it invites us to take a sweet bite out of life. Perfect for children’s malleable hearts and for the young at heart who silently want to rediscover the child in them. This former Butterfly surely missed tea time. I can&#x27;t wait to visit Wonderland again and chime in when they say “It&#x27;s always tea time here”.  </p><div><br/></div><p>____________</p><p>RTYA&#x27;s &#x27;Alice in Wonderland&#x27; runs from August 23 until December 14 at the Repertory Eastwood Theater, 4th Floor, Eastwood Citywalk 2, Eastwood City. </p><p>For tickets, you can contact Repertory Philippines directly (via text, Instagram, or email), or gret them through Ticketworld.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</p><div><em>Erica Marquez Jacinto proudly carries the name ‘Artist’. A former ballerina with Philippine Ballet Theatre, Ballet Philippines, and Repertory Philippines, she has since become an advocate for the arts, now chronicling dance and theater history through writing and photography. She is also the chairman of the Philippine Classical Ballet Syllabus, continuing her commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists.</em></div>

<p>This year's Repertory Theater for Young Audiences offers a fresh twist to the curiouser and curiouser world of 'Alice in Wonderland.'</p>

This year's Repertory Theater for Young Audiences offers a fresh twist to the curiouser and curiouser world of 'Alice in Wonderland.'

Repertory Philippines opens RTYA's 'Alice in Wonderland'

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Repertory Philippines opens RTYA's 'Alice in Wonderland'

ABS-CBN Lifestyle,

Erica Marquez Jacinto

Published Sep 07, 2025 01:34 AM PHT

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Updated Sep 07, 2025 08:58 AM PHT

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