We did Alice with our community theater last year. We also wanted non-musical, as close to the
book as possible. We read a few including some which were alledgedly "classic and close to the
book" We were not happy with any.
So we took the
book, which is public domain, and created our own adaptation. We included as much as we could to maintain logical
continuity while keeping it under two hours (1:55 in two acts). We received high reviews and I thought it went over very well. It was not the Disney style, more of a literary Alice with all of the humor and intellectual playfulness of the
book. We did a lot of research into the background and origins of the
book and Lewis Carroll. Nearly all the dialog is straight from the
book. Our version begins and ends with Lewis Carroll reading from the
book the opening and closing lines. Loved the way it came off.
Our cast were community members - 39 actors (doubling and flexing of cast size possible) ranging in age from 6-68. Equal mix youth and adults. Alice was a high school junior.
I would be glad to arrange to share it with you if you contact me at info @ borealisbards.org. We have a YouTube of the whole performance set to private viewing but I can share upon request.