Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (Broadway Theatre Archive)

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Lenny's description:
1983. This theater production of Alice in Wonderland is based on a famous production from the 1930s.

All the sets and costumes are meticulously based on the illustrations from the original books. The story line is a mix of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Seller's description:
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 11/20/2001 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Nr

Amazon.com:
This gorgeously designed theater production of Lewis Carroll's world-famous fantasy, based on a famous production from the 1930s, features an astonishing array of notable actors. Richard Burton is quietly touching as the doddering White Knight; Eve Arden spits out commands as the bloodthirsty Queen of Hearts; Donald O'Connor plays the woeful Mock Turtle as a jaunty standup comedian; and such varied talents as Colleen Dewhurst, Nathan Lane, Maureen Stapleton, James Coco, Andre Gregory, and Geoffrey Holder fill out Carroll's phantasmagoria as Kate Burton (Richard's daughter) plays the title character in the classic blue-and-white dress and blond tresses. All the sets and costumes are meticulously based on the illustrations from the original books (the story line is a mix of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass), capturing artist John Tenniel's elaborate creations with zest. Though the story lacks dramatic action, the wordplay and visuals are delightful. --Bret Fetzer


Product details:

Item number (ASIN): B00005QBZ4
Actor: Eve Arden, Kaye Ballard, Kate Burton, Richard Burton, James Coco
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
Creator: Nick Besink, Ann Blumenthal, Jac Venza, Susie Fassbinder, Eva Le Gallienne, Florida Friebus, Lewis Carroll
Director: Kirk Browning
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Languages: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Original Release Date: October 3, 1983
Package Dimensions: 58 x 542 x 710 (hundredths-inches)
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 20, 2001
Running Time: 90, minutes
Theatrical Release Date: October 3, 1983

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Add your own review!

Unremarkable
Essentially a taped-for-TV version of the 1932 stage musical by Eva La Gallienne with music by Richard Addinsell. Painstakingly reproduces the look of Tenniel's illustrations, but Elizabeth Burton's performance as Alice is horrid and aside from the production design everything is pretty blandly done.
- by Kirkinson on March 8, 2010

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Rating: - Everyone walked through this abbreviated quasi-musical
The play is based on two books by Lewis Carroll "Alice's Adventures Underground" and "Through the Looking-glass." There have been several presentations, each with it own strength or weakness. This is a 1993 TV presentation of which you can see that lots of time and energy went in to it, We go through the story at light speed only to slow down for a few badly placed songs. This presentation should be an embarrassment to everyone involved. However if you did not know any better a log of Lewis Carroll's humor and way with words comes through. There is a little television trickery that actually helps the presentation. You would think with such a great cast that it could not fail: Kate Burton as Alice (at 26 years old) Austin Pendleton as White Rabbit Richard Burton as White Knight James Coco as King of Hearts Tony Cummings as Knave of Hearts Alan Weeks as Tweedledee André De Shields as Tweedledum Eve Arden as Queen of Hearts Maureen Stapleton as White Queen Colleen Dewhurst as Red Queen Andre Gregory as Mad Hatter Geoffrey Holder as Cheshire Cat Zeljko Ivanek as March Hare Nathan Lane as Mouse Donald O'Connor as Mock Turtle Swen Swenson as Gryphon Fritz Weaver as Caterpillar Richard Woods as Humpty-Dumpty Bottom line this presentation takes an effort to get trough. Best of Henry Kuttner The Last Mimzy (Widescreen Infinifilm Edition)

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Rating: - Good...not great.
I am a HUGE Nathan Lane fan. The only reason I bought this was for Nathan Lane and he (and the rest of the cast) is fantastic! The woman who played Alice (whos name for some reason I can't remember) isn't good. Nathan Lane is the highlight. Very good and a must have for any theatre or Nathan Lane fan.

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Rating: - a rare treat for theatre fans
Fantastic television performance of the Eva LeGallienne adaptation of Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, featuring the 1982 Broadway revival staging by director Kirk Browning. Richard Addinsell's lovely score highlights the production with fine performances all around, headed by Kate Burton who gives Alice a sassy, modern sensibility. LeGallienne's version (which premiered in 1933 and was first revived in 1947) throws the stories and characters of "Wonderland" and "Looking Glass" together, creating a veritable kaleidoscope of colour and whimsy. The cast is truly impressive including - Colleen Dewhurst's manic and imposing Red Queen; the befuddled White Queen of Maureen Stapleton; Nathan Lane plays the waterlogged Mouse as a tango-dancing lothario; Kaye Ballard as the baby-beating Duchess; Geoffrey Holder as a sinuous, seductive Cheshire Cat; and Donald O'Connor as the soft-shoe Mock Turtle. Perhaps most poignant is Richard Burton, playing the melancholy White Knight. His scene with real-life daughter Kate is very touching, and his performance of the White Knight's bittersweet "A-Sittin' on a Gate", one of the truly great songs in Addinsell's score, is a highpoint of the whole production. The actual story of Alice is bookended by a nervous young actress about to star in her very first leading role. The saga of Alice herself provides a nice counterpoint as Lewis Carroll's heroine also must face her fears if she can ever return home. Truly a production to savour and a rare treat for all theatre and Lewis Carroll admirers.

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Rating: - It's a bad sign when the sets are better than the actors.
This particular "Alice" has a long history. It started as a hit play in the early '40s, was resurrected in the late '70s with Kate Burton in the title role, and then ported to Great Performances on PBS - the latter of which is what we have here on DVD. Presumably it worked a little better on stage, and probably a little better in the '40s, too. Sadly, it runs through both "Alice" stories in a breakneck 90 minutes' time, and much of the acting is truly lamentable - some of the actors are so bad, I actually thought that might be an intentional joke, as with Austin Pendleton's monotonistic White Rabbit! Probably the best of them are Donald O'Connor - the only one of the lot who can actually sing! - as the Mock Turtle, Geoffrey Holder as the Cheshire Cat, and Richard Burton as the White Knight. The tea party crew is fairly good as well. The rest...well, the sooner forgotten about, the better.Despite the acting, the sets and costumes are gorgeous - they're mostly made (with the exception of the Cat) to look like Tenniel woodcuts. That makes it quite a visual treat, if nothing else. This isn't the worst "Alice" I've seen, but it's not very high on my list. Still, it has enough good points it's probably worth a rental on a rainy week...just don't expect anything too incredible.

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Rating: - Great Find
I remember watching this on PBS when I was a kid and I was so excited to see this on DVD. It's a great production with a great cast. I like that the play features both Alice in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. As a Lewis Carroll fan I was happy to see how closely the play follows the books.

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice Through the Looking Glass

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Alice at the Palace (Broadway Theatre Archive)

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