ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Excellent engineering and uneven writing make this full-cast production a mixed adventure. Lewis Carroll's second "Alice" novel is adapted without the advantage of narration, which gives the story immediacy and provides an excellent showcase for the performers but not without compromising Carroll's original story. There are some long stretches of story where there is no dialogue, and in order to describe Alice's experiences, the listener is forced to listen to long and awkward soliloquies by the main character. The scriptwriter made other choices that sometimes miss Carroll's whimsy while at other times taking the characters too far to the point of silliness. Children are likely to be entranced by ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, but adults will likely prefer literal readings of the book. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2010]