Wonderland: A New Alice, formerly called Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure, and often shortened to just Wonderland, is a musical with a book by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd, lyrics by Murphy, and music by Frank Wildhorn. The story, a contemporary version of the novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll.
Set in modern-day New York City, Alice is an aspiring author. She has just made the decision to split from her husband and moved their young daughter Chloe to an apartment in Queens when she follows the White Rabbit into a service elevator that takes her to Wonderland.
After various workshops and productions of the musical in Tampa, Florida and Houston, Texas, the show premiered on Broadway on April 17, 2011, closing a month later, on May 15, 2011.
The original Broadway cast starred Janet Dacal as Alice, Darren Ritchie as Jack the White Knight and the Victorian Gentleman, Kate Shindle as the Mad Hatter, E. Clayton Cornelious as the Caterpillar, Jose Llana as El Gato, Edward Staudenmayer as the White Rabbit, Carly Rose Sonenclar as Chloe, Karen Mason as the Queen of Hearts, and Danny Stiles as Morris the March Hare.
Wonderland: A New Alice contains examples of:
- Adaptational Villainy: The Mad Hatter and the March Hare become the main antagonists.
- Age Lift: Alice is a fully-grown woman with a daughter of her own.
- All Just a Dream: As in the original story, Alice's journey in Wonderland was imagined in the end, as a result of bumping her head at the top of the show.
- And You Were There: Jack the White Knight is a Wonderland version of Alice's husband Jack, who appears when she returns to reality.
- Ascended Extra: The White Knight from Through the Looking Glass is made The Hero and Promoted to Love Interest.
- Author Guest Spot: Lewis Carroll appears as a character in the second act, though he is credited as "The Victorian Gentlemen."
- Badass Boast: I Will Prevail is one big one for the Mad Hatter.
- I am the ending of your tragic fairy tale!
- Brainwashed and Crazy: What the Hatter does to those she imprisons in the Land of the Looking Glass.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: A trait shared by Jack the White Knight and Alice's husband Jack. His self-professed "white knight syndrome" is the cause of their marriage problems, and the reason they split at the top of the show. When she imagines him in Wonderland, he is a literal White Knight with a martyr complex.
- Distant Duet: "Home", with Alice lost in Wonderland, and her daughter still in their apartment in Queens.
- Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice decends to Wonderland in a falling service elevator.
- The Dulcinea Effect: Jack declares himself to be Alice's Knight in Shining Armor only seconds after meeting her, delighted to have met an apparent Damsel in Distress.
- Five-Man Band: Alice, Jack the White Knight, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and El Gato.
- Gender Flip: The Mad Hatter is a woman, to Alice's surprise.
- Heel–Face Turn: Morris the March Hare turns against the Hatter the moment he becomes outnumbered by the heroes.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Jack dreams of having one of these. He finally gets his wish at the climax, taken down with the Hatter when she is banished to the land beneath Wonderland, to save Alice from the same fate.
- Homesickness Hymn: "Home", and its reprises.
- How I wish that I could feel that somehow, right nowHow I wish that I could feel that againHow I wish you could remember, just once, right nowMaybe we'll find it again
- Legacy Character: It's not outright stated, but this incarnation of the Mad Hatter is implied to be one to the original Mad Hatter in her Villain Song, which would explain the Adaptational Villainy and Gender Flip.Mad Hatter: The old Hatter is gone, but the hat must go on.
- Setting Update: Alice lives in modern-day New York City.
- Time Master: The White Rabbit, courtesy of his watch.
