Texas Ballet Theater ends its season on a lighthearted note this weekend with four performances of artistic director Ben Stevenson’s Alice in Wonderland at Bass Performance Hall. Based on Lewis Carroll’s popular children’s book, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, the dance was created in 1992 for the Houston Ballet when Stevenson was director there. Set to a score by English composer Joseph Horovitz, it will be accompanied here by the Fort Worth Symphony, conducted by Michael Moricz.
Most of the familiar characters are included – the lunatic White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, and a host of other creatures, including a dodo bird, lion, zebra, caterpillar, dragonflies and butterflies, a frog, turtles, and a dancing lobster.
Breaking classical ballet tradition, Stevenson gives voice to the title character, who speaks throughout the performances. Voice coach Brandon Smith was engaged to tutor the three ballerinas dancing the role in vocal control and projection. The dancers are Carolyn Judson, Michelle Taylor, and Alexandra Farber.
