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Last Updated:
Feb 2nd, 2010 - 13:42:13 |
Wonderland
Adventures In Burlesque
Sex, burlesque and Alice in Wonderland’s ‘white rabbit’ are some things to look out for this weekend. The deliciously freaky team that brings you Theatre Bizarre each Halloween is preparing for what they call their biggest production ever, Wonderland, based on the Lewis Carroll classic starring Canadian burlesque artist Roxi Dlite.
Just as the Michigan State Fairgrounds are transformed each year into a Zombie-fetish-like circus; so will a room on the fifth floor of Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center. The show, performed this weekend and next, will surely blow your mind.
“I’ve been wanting to do Wonderland forever,” said executive producer Casey Miller. “But the vision I had was so elaborate, I would tell people about it and I think they thought I was crazy.”
“I knew we could do it, but I didn’t know if we could pull something off this big,” said co-director Jason McCombs.
By ‘big,’ they mean several things. The set includes a huge ‘book’ in a wooden frame where animated illustrations from the story will interact on screens and sort of jump out at the crowd. The art and illustrations were done by art director John Dunivant, famous as the visionary behind Theatre Bizarre.
Voices narrate the story backstage while the actors perform to the audience. A huge caterpillar will swoop down from the ceiling; there will be sideshows too, the House of Cards and the beloved Cheshire Cat. And a live band banging out the ‘Wonderland’ soundtrack, composed and created by Drew Bardo, of the Questions and Rabeah Lteif from the Electric Lions.
A trained aerial and burlesque artist and staple of Theatre Bizarre for the past two years, this is Roxi’s acting debut.
“I’ve never acted before and I’m really looking forward to it! Nor have I done a show quite this large. Everybody has devoted so much time and dedication I’m completely blown away. Each person really fits each part. It’s almost as if they actually are these characters,” Roxi said.
It’s March 24 and the team is at Russell getting ready for the big night. Roxi’s statement that everybody "fits their part" makes sense when I see side show artist Shetan Noir, who plays the queen of hearts, standing near the stage with a sword balanced on her head.
Costume designer Hayley Jane Nickerson is going back and forth from her studio, “I love my rabbit ears!” she exclaims with the little grey furies on her head. Nickerson designed and made all the costumes, with the exception of a few made by the other artists, and Roxi’s Alice costume, designed by Roxi.
“It’s going to be part side show, part burlesque, a little fetish, a little bit of everything,” said Miller.
“This show will definitely be full of surprises! It will blow peoples’ minds,” said Roxi. “It’s the perfect story for Detroit which isn’t like any other city I’ve ever been to. It’s kind of surreal.” Kind of like falling down the rabbit hole, lots of surprises, you just have to dig. | RDW
Wonderland • April 3 & 4, 10, 11• Russell Industrial Center
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