Let "Universe" Be "Books"

Warehouse 13

2009-07-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Remember where the Ark of the Covenant is stashed at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark? The new TV show Warehouse 13 runs with that idea, telling the story of two government agents assigned to find such mysterious and dangerous objects and to store them safely. One fun aspect of the show is seeing objects that are already at the warehouse, such as Pandora's Box and Houdini's wallet. In the second episode, "Resonance," one of the main characters uses Lewis Carroll's looking glass to play ping pong with himself!

"Resonance" is being shown again on July 17, 21, and 28 on Syfy, and is available for an indefinite time online at IMDB.

A(nother) Wonderland

2009-07-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Opening the Ice Factory Festival at NYC's Ohio Theatre, Anonymous Ensemble's A Wonderland plays July 8 through July 11. "Alice, a talented, urban dreamer approaching middle age, is caught in a quagmire of diminishing potential, corporate insignificance and the mirage of celebrity. This is Lewis Carroll deconstructed by the mind of a modern, mature songstress on a journey of self-identity. A befeathered spectacle; a psychedelic, multimedia/music-fueled trip down the rabbit hole."

Strangely Awesome

2009-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

"Ever wondered what it is like to be Alice in Wonderland? Jump down the depths of the Rabbit Hole and find out! 'Alice Free Fall' [game for the iPhone] lets you re-experience the dreamlike and strangely awesome decent, which Alice made in pursuit of the White Rabbit. Just as in Lewis Carroll's novel your journey through the Hole will be accompanied by mysterious Cheshire and lots of other strange things - both helpful and peculiar. Sure enough, the game will unfold your own memories and fantasies of the times, when you were reading or watching Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Moreover, it was our intention to make it this way - a dreamy and entertaining tribute to the great work of the great author. For now, the path to the Wonderland is open, adventure awaits..."

Bedtime Story

2009-07-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Esquire magazine, Mary-Louise Parker reads from Alice.

La chasse au Snark

2009-07-05T19:41:00.001-07:00

Geneva-based publisher éditions Notari has just released a bilingual version of The Hunting of the Snark. The original English text is accompanied by a new French translation by M. Vertut and illustrations by the Franco-Swiss artist Jean-Marie Reynier made up of (if Google and I are translating correctly) collages of eighteenth century prints colored with watercolor.

Special Days

2009-07-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Since it is Canada Day, it seems appropriate to announce an event that takes place on Independence Day... in England.

This Saturday, July 4, Oxford's Story Museum celebrates Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass with Alice's Day. Events include tea parties, croquet games, exhibits, performances, lectures (including some by Edward Wakeling and Mark Richards), walks, games, and more taking place at such interesting and renowned places as the Museum of Natural History, The Bodleian Library, Museum of the History of Science, Museum of Oxford, Christ Church, and the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. If you can't attend, download the souvenir guide instead!

In Focus: Making a Scene

2009-06-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

"In Focus: Making a Scene presents more than thirty tableaux, or staged photographs, from the J. Paul Getty Museum’s world-renowned photography collection, on view at the Getty Center (Los Angeles) from June 30–October 18, 2009. ...Among the nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century selections are tableaux vivants, or living pictures, such as... Lewis Carroll’s Saint George and the Dragon, inspired by the popular Victorian pastime of dressing up and posing to resemble famous works of art or literary scenes."

Alice vs... Batwoman?

2009-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

DC Comics' Detective Comics #854 (June 24), 855 (July 29), 856 (August 26), and 857 (September 2) cover the storyline "Elegy," in which Batwoman runs up against Alice, "a madwoman who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable extras" and who speaks only in lines from Lewis Carroll.

Rackham Alice

2009-06-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Bloomsbury Auctions (London) is selling a beautiful Rackham Alice, signed by Rackham with a wonderful ink sketch of the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle. It is part of the "Books, Manuscripts, Prints, and Original Artwork" sale on July 9.

Mickey in Wonderland

2009-06-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

If you need a bigger Disney Alice in Wonderland fix than a one-page website can provide and can't wait until March 5, 2010, check out the upcoming Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland DVD. "Meet Tweedle Chip, Tweedle Dale and Goofy Hatter, play croquet with Queen Clarabelle and more!" Currently available for pre-order, the DVD releases on September 8.

Cheshire Kitten Wallpaper

2009-06-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Russian digital artist Vlad Gerasimov has added a "Cheshire Kitten" (both solid and half disappeared, of course!) to his collection of Alice-inspired graphics for computer (and now cellphone/iPhone) desktops at Vladstudio.com.

New Old Dodo Picture

2009-06-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

In all the hubbub of newly released character and scenery pictures from Tim Burton's Wonderland, only the Telegraph (U.K) has taken note of a previously undiscovered 17th century picture of a dodo. The picture is particularly important as it was drawn before the bird became extinct, although it is uncertain whether it was drawn from life. The picture is to be sold at auction by Christie’s on July 9.

Angel's Alice in Salisbury

2009-06-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Spanish illustrator Angel Dominguez has illustrated many children’s books and books about wildlife. The Wonder of Illustration, an exhibition of originals from Dominguez's illustrated edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is showing at The Salisbury Museum in England from April 4 to July 4.

Never Wonder Land

2009-06-09T18:05:00.001-07:00

If Peter Pan and Alice left their normal boring lives in London and found each other in the same fantastical world, would they ever want to come back to reality? Boom Kat Dance Company's Neverwonderland depicts the search for a place in lives "real" and imagined: set at the height of Industrial Revolution-era England, it deconstructs and rebuilds the borderland at which Neverland and Wonderland confront the world we know.
From May 29 through June 14, at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica, California.

15th Annual Alice Festival

2009-06-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

Minnie Maria Mad Tea Party

2009-05-21T21:08:00.001-07:00

Minnie Maria (see previous post Rackham Alice Miniatures) has come up with a new batch of minatures: the entire Mad Tea Party.

Alice Tweets

2009-05-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

To complete her total domination of cyberspace, Alice is now on Twitter! Follow her adventures (in increments of 140 characters or less) at http://twitter.com/publicdomain.

Alice on bikes

2009-04-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

Wheels of Wonderland is an interactive theatrical spectacle—a production of Alice in Wonderland performed entirely on bicycles—celebrating human-powered magic of all shapes and sizes. Featuring the Austin Bike Zoo, a variety of Austin, Texas-based performers and many creative cycling characters, this free event takes place May 2, 3, 9, and 10 in various Austin parks.

Liddell Jokes

2009-04-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

"Lewis Carroll and Alice Play Call Our Bluff" by Alan Lance Andersen and Rebecca Ann Edwards appears in the July issue of Games Magazine, which will be on newsstands around May 15th. This nicely illustrated piece is a feature article/puzzle in which the reader tries to solve the puzzle in the text—to determine which of the many tidbits of Alice history are true and which the authors made up—and these are based on, to quote Mr. Andersen, "quirky trivia" about Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell. [Though some Carrollians might have one or two quibbles with the information in the article.]

Santa Fe Meeting Update

2009-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Note that the agenda for the LCSNA's spring meeting in Santa Fe on Saturday, May 9 has been updated and added to. In addition to Theaterwork's performance of La Guida di Bragia, there will be a musical performance of the chamber piece "The Chess Game" (based on Through the Looking-Glass) - check out the details! I highly recommend attending if you can make it.

Cosmetic bag

2009-04-23T22:07:00.001-07:00

Japan always puts a nice twist on Alice... Check out this "goth style" black and white cosmetic bag sold by exporter Jbox.com.

Wonderland Circus

2009-04-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

You are cordially invited to Wanderlust Circus's performance of Wonderland Circus: "A tea party and theatrical review in honor of the new queen of wonderland, depicting her legendary adventures with a cast of the finest acrobats, jugglers, dancers, and musicians any world has ever known!" April 24 and 25, and May 1 and 2 at Portland's Bossanova Ballroom.

Alice of the House of Carroll

2009-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

April 24 through May 30, "Alice of the House of Carroll grabs you by the throat and kicks you down the rabbit hole into a wonderland filled with maniacs and thieves and where love melds with aggression. ...the National Pastime Theater lifts Alice out of her comfortable place in children’s theater and thrusts her onto the city streets of late 19th century Chicago. Like our world today, Chicago at that time was a world that needed to rebuild. Alice, a pleasant little girl, pulses with an instability that is common to everyone and in particular, to a world, like ours, that seems to be disappearing down a rabbit hole. THIS SHOW IS NOT FOR CHILDREN OF ANY AGE."

Wonderland

2009-04-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

"Alice’s adventures in Wonderland have never before been told like this…with clowns, acrobats, jugglers, and musicians. When Alice searches for a way back home, she will meet the caterpillar, the white rabbit, and she will have to escape from the dreaded Queen of Hearts. You may think you know this classic story, but hold on to your hats, because this world premiere created by master clown Jeff Raz of Cirque Du Soleil for the Advanced Training Program of the Clown Conservatory and produced by Active Arts will be the wildest, craziest trip to Wonderland you’ve ever taken!" The show is performed from April 18 to May 3 at the Julia Morgan Center in Berkeley, California, and from May 9 to May 17 at the Front Row Theater in San Ramon, California.

Alice and Kitty

2009-04-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

On June 15, The Oxford Children's Literature and Youth Culture Colloquium will present a talk on Disney's Alice, Hello Kitty's Alice, and Carroll's Alice: An Aspect of Children's Cultures in the US, UK, and Japan by Yasuko Natsume of Tsuda College, Tokyo.
This talk examines American and Japanese animated film adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as a means of accessing children's cultures in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. Natsume's paper focuses on Disney’s self-supporting, independent Alice (who stands in contrast to the majority of early Disney princesses) and Sanrio’s 1993 Hello Kitty™ version, in which Kitty, a Japanese symbol of cuteness, plays the part of Alice.