Alice Barber and the Four Tea Thieves
Performances were twice daily – 1pm & 4pm, Sat/Sun 20 & 21 January, Sat/Sun 27 & 28 January. All tickets $5. Bookings through Elmwood Players, ph: (03) 355 8874.
Magical binoculars take Alice on a journey into a mysterious land filled with guards, thieves, magic and strange customs. Will she survive her ordeal, set things right and make it home in time for tea?
Elmwood Players conjures up the perfect solution to school holiday boredom with Alice Barber and the Four Tea Thieves: an outlandish adventure in which the modern heroine meets a bunch of mad characters from every fairy story that never was.
“It’s a very funny fresh take on the old tale of Ali Barber and the 40 Thieves — with a little Alice in Wonderland thrown in — and what happens when the genie goes a bit senile and deaf,” director Tom Vavasour says.
An original script by Elmwood’s own Marilyn Ollett, Alice Barber is the second instalment in the continuing adventures of Lewis Carroll’s great-great-great niece, who finds a pair of magical binoculars amongst her uncle’s belongings in the attic. By focusing through the binoculars, Alice is whisked away on adventures to otherworldly realms — in this instance, to a land of genies and magical carpets, wicked sultans and a damsel in distress.
Can she foil the dastardly tea thieves, led by the smelly Bin-lina, outwit bumbling palace guards Asif and Wotif, and help the lovely Raysin escape the fate of becoming a Sultana?
Taking on the title role is Kelsey Vavasour (13). The Year 10 Unlimited student is delighted to be starring in this funny slapstick production, playing opposite mum Kris, as the geriatric genie, and directed by dad Tom. “All the characters are really silly,” she says. “Just reading through the script makes me laugh.”
Ollett herself features in the cast as the malodorous Bin-lina and vengeful Sultan. Her first production Alice Through the Looking Glasses was performed by Elmwood as part of the 2005 Kidsfest. She looks forward to producing a third chapter in Alice’s hilarious escapades for 2008.
Great holiday entertainment for all the family!
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