WONDERLAND A REVIEW

This is not the first time that someone has tried to adapt Lewis Caroll's "Alice in Wonderland" stories to the stage and once again the idea of hanging a big Broadway musical on the not too sturdy story of a young girl discovering her self-awarness does not really work. That is really too bad because this latest attempt, "WONDERLAND"has some very good things in it. It has some very plesant music by Frank Wildhorn, and while it is not particularly memo rable it does remind us that there are still some people who like to write simple, traditional theatre music, and the lyrics by Jack Murphy are workmanlike enough without being first rate. It is the book that is the main problem because it never makes up it's mind weather it wants to be comic or serious so the authors [lyricist Murphy and Gregory Boyd] try to have it both way s which splits the show in half and never lets it develop a style of it's own. Under Mr. Boyd's underwhelming stage direction the cast works hard and are for the most part well suited to their roles. Janet Dacal is a most attractive Alice and young Carly Rose Sonenclar is excellent as her daughter who takes a trip with Mom down the old rabit hole.[ Alice is now a grown school teacher]. The rest of the cast is fine and delightfully enthusiastic. While Marguerite Derrick's choreography is nothing special Neil Patel's sets are attractive, and Susan Hilferty's costumes and Paul Gallo's lighting are first rate. Kim Scharnberg's orchestrations complament the music well and Jason Howland conducts the show most ably. With stronger direction and a better idea of what it is "WONDERLAND" might have worked. Actually the material is no worse than the musical "Pippin", but "Pippin"had a genius named Fosse in charge. Still, there is enough in it to make it possibly worth seeing. AT THE MARQUIS THEATRE 220 WEST 46th STREET N.Y.C.