The magical and fantastic world created by Lewis Carroll in his book "Alice in Wonderland" has been translated to this day into a variety of stage and film shows, and has received various adaptations in Israel and around the world through films and television, theater plays and musicals, animated series and even computer games.
Now this special world is also coming to Israel, in a new and virtuosic version that will be presented by the American dance troupe "Momix".
The artistic director and choreographer of the band, Moses Pendleton, created "Alice" - a show based on "Alice in Wonderland", which will tour Israel and will be performed from December 28 to January 6 at the Opera House in Tel Aviv, Beer Sheva, Jerusalem, Haifa, Ashdod and Kiryat Motzkin .
Pendleton's work, which presents a sensual and surreal journey, combines humor and pushes the boundaries of movement while zigzagging between dance, illusion art and acrobatics, and it fits well with the world of Alice and the various characters in it.
The nine members of the troupe demonstrate skill in ballet and contemporary dance techniques, acrobatics, puppetry, control of props, challenging costumes and acting talent.
"Alice chose me"
In the town of Zaandam, about 15 minutes from Amsterdam, in a magical theater, the Momix band put on the show just before it arrives in Israel.
Pendleton is considered one of the most popular and innovative choreographers and directors in the US in the last 40 years. He is one of the founders of the groundbreaking dance theater Philobolus, and in 1980 he founded Momix alongside his work in film, television and opera. After the performance, he told us about the choice of the iconic book, and the message he is trying to convey.
"I think Alice chose me, and not the other way around. I've been thinking about this piece by Lewis Carroll for 30 years, since my daughter was little," says Pendleton.
"Many times after our previous shows, we were told that the style of the work reminds us of the world of 'Alice in Wonderland.' , movies and more.
In December they are here.
"The message is that imagination is most important", Photo: Sharen Bradford
"Many people over the years have interpreted his work, including Disney, Tim Burton and Salvador Dali, and in our show we didn't really try to tell the story of 'Alice in Wonderland' in a clear way, but used it as a stepping stone to jump down the rabbit hole into our world, which is full of fantasy and illusion. I hope that people in the show will not feel that we are describing the world to them, but the way it could be," he explains.
And what about the message he was trying to convey?
"The message is that imagination is the most important, and that we must not lose the child's thinking even when we grow up. You can imagine, have fun, keep wildness and creativity even when you grow up."
Calls to boycott Israel and not to appear here are not uncommon.
Pendleton, for his part, does not sound excited by the surreal situation, even when I explain to him that this time they are coming after a particularly complex tension that prevails in Israel.
"Do you think the situation is complicated this time because of Netanyahu?" he asks with a smile, and adds: "I haven't heard anything about it. I haven't received any inquiries from people in the world, and I'm not particularly stressed or tense about coming to you - I'm generally stressed about what's going on in the world." .
The experience in Israel
Although he will not come with the band on tour in Israel, it turns out that his connection with Israel goes back a long way, and in 1973 he appeared here as a young composer in front of kibbutz members and soldiers.
"I remember this performance as one of the most memorable performances. We performed under the Golan Mountains, in front of the Israeli Air Force, on a stage made of stones. The next day we left Israel, and we heard that a third of the soldiers we performed in front of had been killed in the war. It was a tragedy and a very difficult experience, which I never stopped thinking about. Since then. Those were very formative years for me, and it's a memory I hold on to to this day."
Along with the acrobatics and virtuosity of the actors, the music that accompanies the alternating sections is one of the special things about the production.
It moves between different musical styles and different languages, against the background of the skateboards on which the band members surf, the scenes of levitation and assimilation into the fourth wall, the giant balls that simulate the familiar caterpillar, or the games of light and shadow that succeed in reducing and enlarging Alice again and again.
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