Alice in Wonderland | ZACH Theatre

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We recently saw Alice in Wonderland at the ZACH Theatre in Downtown Austin and thought it was one the best interactive children’s performances we have ever seen. The classic tale is told in such a fun, new way that everyone of every age really needs to see it.

Madison Weinhoffer in Alice in Wonderland at ZACH Theatre. Photo by Kirk Tuck

I had a date with my boys on Saturday. We went and saw a unique telling of a classic tale. The ZACH Theatre presented Alice in Wonderland in such a unique and inventive way. Instead of sitting in the theatre, watching the play happen, the audience is invited to become a part of the story and you are brought into the world of Wonderland along with Alice and all the crazy characters – the Madd Hatter, the Scarlet Rabbit, and of course, the Queen of Hearts!

The cast of Alice in Wonderland at ZACH Theatre. Photo by Kirk Tuck.

Alice in Wonderland: ZACH Theatre

As the story goes, Alice finds herself in Wonderland in the midst of a mystery – who took the Queen’s cookies? The audience travels around the entire ZACH Theatre campus, meeting various characters who help us find Alice and determine who took the missing cookies. The cast members interact with the audience and you are quickly drawn into the story. We misted plants, ate a candy to “shrink ourselves” to go down the rabbit hole, and playing a fun game of croquet with the Queen of Hearts. We were moving the entire 90 minutes of the show and it was fantastic.

I have said it before, I am absolutely amazed at all the talent we have in our local Austin theater community. This production of Alice in Wonderland is right up there. Many of the actors play multiple roles and do such a good job of keeping them all separate. I can’t imagine the degree of difficulty in maintaining character as you are moving around outside and keeping up with so many in the audience, but these guys did it seamlessly.

Chase Brewer in Alice in Wonderland at ZACH Theatre. Photo by Kirk Tuck.

And as I looked around the audience – filled with little ones, college kids, parents, and even grandparents, every was laughing and joining in on the paper boat making, singing to the Queen, even learning the Wonderland dance. This is a great show for all ages. I took my 6 year old and my 13 year old – both boys, who were hesitant about seeing a “girl’s play” – and both really enjoyed it. My 6 year old said it was the “best play he had ever seen!” ZACH recommends the play for 5 and up and with all the moving parts, I tend to agree.

Alice in Wonderland was one of the most creative, interactive shows we have ever seen. We were pulled into the story – literally – which brought a whole new level of watching a play to the audience. It was clever, ingenious and loads of fun! We didn’t want it to end!

Jacob Basquez in Alice in Wonderland at ZACH Theatre. Photo by Kirk Tuck.

Alice in Wonderland has select performances on Fridays (6:30 p.m.), Saturdays (11 a.m. and 2 p.m.),
and Sundays (11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) from now until May 15, 2016. Tickets are only $18-23. Don’t miss this show!

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Alice in Wonderland. I was not compensated for this article, all opinions are my own.