Post Mortem: MALICE IN WONDERLAND

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Opening the door to Wonderland…

Welcome to Post Mortem! This is where Master Mystery Productions looks back on the performance of its most recent show.

Down the rabbit hole…beyond the looking glass…around the caucus race…and shrunk to three inches tall to pass through the tiny door, falling into Wonderland has inspired generations of people for the past 160 years. Lewis Carroll’s masterwork introduced the world to playing card queens, vanishing cats, mad tea parties, and more. And at Master Mystery Productions, we couldn’t help but be inspired ourselves to plunge our actors and audiences into the wacky world of Wonderland for our 38th show we called Malice in Wonderland.

Alice caught “red-handed!”

Like a pop-up storybook, Malice in Wonderland is the immersive adventure of Alice as she’s put on trial for the theft of jam tarts at her coronation. Originally planned for the 5th anniversary of MMP in 2020, the pandemic lockdowns sidelined that initial dream. The play was first a collaboration between MMP Artistic Director Daniel Stallings and Hall of Fame Artist Devanne Fredette. Yet, over the next five years, changes were made. In 2023, we produced Janis Kunz’s debut play, How to Solve a Murder. After collaborating with Daniel and Devanne on a writing project, Janis became the natural choice to help us finish the half-completed script. The new script, now under Janis and Devanne’s capable command, became the final version of Malice in Wonderland.

Set Design of Malice in Wonderland inside Red Rock Books

We reunited with our favorite bookstore, Red Rock Books, for our lucky seventh partnership after last year’s Shelf Life. This time, we dreamed bigger than ever before as befitting our now tenth “unbirthday.” We transformed the entire store into Wonderland with a rabbit hole of floating furniture you passed through, a Queen of Hearts courtyard with magical topiaries and a pig for a judge’s bench, larger-than-life mushrooms, “Drink Me” potions,” and dozens of tiny doors, some with cast-and-crew-drawn views into Wonderland. We promoted Devanne Fredette to director for this production, signifying another milestone in her career and our company. And we had the biggest cast we’ve ever had due to a record-blasting turnout at auditions. We chose to divide the cast in two–a Youth Cast and an Adult Cast. Each cast got their own nights to perform. And the nights were spectacular.

Tweedledee (played by Cambria Nelson) and Tweedledum (Leia Labonte) play patty-cake before the show begins.
  • The Queen of Hearts (Evelyn Trinkle) lays down the rules of Wonderland.
  • Adult Queen of Hearts (Leslie Blake) appointing herself the judge of Alice’s trial.
The White Rabbit (Serenity Blake) confesses that she saw Alice take the tarts! Is she telling the truth?
  • Alice (Madelyn Miroglio) worries for her fate as the Mad Hatter (Brax Curran) and March Hare (Callie Bennett) promise that they won’t leave any weak links in her chains.
  • Adult Alice (Ashley Harrington) in chains as the playing card guards (Anton Patchin and Holly Berry) keep her under supervision.

Alice has reached the Eighth Square on the Looking-Glass-Land chessboard, which means she can be promoted to queen. A grand coronation is planned. Except the jam tarts have been stolen! The Red Queen declares treason! Alice’s friends from Wonderland return with varying degrees of support. Some damaging eyewitness statements put Alice in the crosshairs. She’s being put on trial for the crime of spoiling her dinner! SURPRISED GASP! With her fate to be decided by a jury with ears, the audience took a tour throughout Wonderland to hear the testimonies–some intriguing, some funny, some deliciously sarcastic–of the characters. Little clues were scattered like tart crumbs through the testimonies. Could the jury piece the puzzle together?

The Cheshire Cat (Elise Bechtel) provides sassy testimony in the case.
  • The Red Queen (Zoe Berry) and the White Queen (Daphne Berry)…
  • …(Calvin Johnson and Journey Curran) trade off testifying.
The Mad Tea Party (Brax Curran, Blake Facey-Martinez, and Callie Bennett) invent their own tale about a squeak they heard.
The Dormouse (Krista Roberts) shares where she was at the time of the crime. “Twinkle, twinkle little bat…”
The Caterpillar (Olivia Holm) asks endless questions. “Who are you?”

Audiences loved the show. We sold out nearly every performance. Grins as big as a Cheshire Cat’s followed the actors through their performances. We had giggles at stories of gnats in hats, at Wonderland’s backwards legal system, at White Queen shading her sister over the several dozen roses she should send to match her sister’s age, at objections being overruled…with a ruler over their heads. Alice’s plight rested in the hands of her jury. After conflicting evidence, unhelpful testimony, and a scuffle over an official Wonderland court document, the case was solved. Or was it? In Wonderland, everything is upside-down and inside-out. Was Alice guilty or not guilty? Only at Malice in Wonderland was the truth revealed.

Alice on trial.
A fight over the verdict!

We had little tricks up our sleeves to bring Lewis Carroll magic to the stage. We wanted to mimic the feeling shrinking to three-inches-tall and then growing to fifty-feet-tall. We built giant mushrooms to visit the Caterpillar and then constructed a Victorian paper theatre of an aerial view through the trees to find a hidden clue. With our set designed to look like a storybook you could step inside, each element was designed to create an even more tangle Wonderland. Even our programs received heaps of praise as our coolest yet–a rabbit hole through the pages you could decorate with furniture stickers we provided and little pop-up doors revealing fun facts about the show. All of it combined made Malice in Wonderland a truly special production.

  • One side of the mushroom……
  • …will make you taller…
  • Looking in the paper theatre.
  • The view within. Notice anything suspicious?
Rabbit Hole Program

Closing night is our traditional awards night. First up was The Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond, our company’s oldest award. Each plaque is designed to uniquely reflect the show it was made for, making the Skeleton Key Award a symbol of an individual putting their unique heart and soul into a Master Mystery Production, going above and beyond their assigned jobs in the show to make it the best it can be. They are inspirations to us in the company, and they remain celebrated in our programs and on our website for years to come. Congratulations Callie Bennett and Janis Kunz for winning the Skeleton Key Award for Malice in Wonderland!

Awards for Malice in Wonderland
Congratulations Callie!
Congratulations Janis!

Following the Skeleton Key, we presented the coveted Diamond Mask Awards for Excellence in Performance. Voted by audiences, guests select their nominees for the award based on the performances they liked best. The actors with the most votes win. Eight people won the award for Malice in Wonderland, four for each cast. Congratulations to Evelyn Trinkle, Callie Bennett, Brax Curran, Zoe Berry, Briona Stewart, Xylo Piano, Calvin Johnson, and Murolo Patchin for your Diamond Mask-winning performances!

From her commanding entrance, Evelyn Trinkle dominated the stage as the Queen of Hearts, demanding heads in her own backwards form of justice as the self-appointed judge at Alice’s trial. Her intense commitment to the character, ability to ad-lib with the audience and jury under her command, and bright, bold energy made her a clear standout. As such, audiences awarded her her first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for this heated yet hilarious portrayal. Bravo, Evelyn!
A firestorm of energy cloaked in crimson, the Red Queen’s tirade against Alice, the Accused Almost Queen is the backbone of the play. It takes a big personality to fill that part, and Zoe Berry nailed it. She conveyed the Red Queen’s explosive temper and bull-headed pursuit with perfection, earning rave reviews from patrons. They rewarded her with her first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Congratulations Zoe!
Callie Bennett’s energy and enthusiasm (for chaos) as the March Hare rang loud and clear at every performance. She was always hopping with joy whether it was time for tea, time for a trial, or time to tell the saga of the squeaky shoes. The fun she had onstage was infectious. Audiences resonated with her performance and voted her to receive her second Diamond Mask Award after winning for Mina Harker in Shelf Life. Congrats Callie on your award-winning performance!
Brax Curran had an order as tall as a top hat to fill when he stepped into the role of the Mad Hatter after a sudden casting change. But he embraced the challenge with high spirits and dedication. He captured the madcap mirth of our Hatter to a T from spinning a yarn about delicate dishware to attempting to defend Alice at her trial. Audience members awarded him with his first Diamond Mask Award for his hilarious Hatter. Bravo, Brax, on a stellar performance!
No one could deny the high-octane delivery Xylo Piano injected into every line as the Mad Hatter for the Adult Cast. But it’s not just the caffeine in the tea; Xylo breathed vivaciousness into their commanding performance. Whether it was sneaking tea out of the Hatter’s hat or sipping it out of their briefcase during the trial, this performance was definitely funny and fabulous. Audiences agreed and awarded Xylo their first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Bravo, Xylo!
Briona Stewart was out on a mission of madness as the March Hare. With big, cartoonish energy, she made a perfect complement to Xylo’s loony Hatter. From getting the Red Queen’s goat to switching sides whenever the mood strikes to squeaking shoes, Briona gave us a full-throttle performance that electrified the audience. And so, guests awarded her her first Diamond Mask Award for her hoppy, high-energy Hare. Congratulations, Briona!
There’s no mistaking that when Calvin Johnson treads the boards, greatness happens. Our most decorated actor solidifies his legacy with a history-making NINTH Diamond Mask Award as the volcanic Red Queen. Explosive bursts of temper and a sinister (yet silly) delight in watching Alice on the chopping black, Calvin gave it his all. Going toe-to-toe with the White Queen at the trial remains a favorite moment of ours. Bravo, Calvin, on another spectacular performance!
Capturing the White Rabbit’s customary, twitchy anxiety about the time, general fidgeting, and desire to please all the hot-headed royals around him with skill and precision, Murolo Patchin strengthens his legacy as one of MMP’s rising stars. With superb nuance, he nailed the role with a performance filled with humor and heart. Audiences granted him his THIRD Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance, an exemplary achievement. Congratulations, Murolo!

Creating a production from scratch and putting on a show is seldom flawless. One can always expect complications along the way. But when times are difficult and challenges arise, some people find the strength and dedication to help us cross the finish line. We are forever grateful to these individuals. As such, we awarded seven Special Commendations for Malice in Wonderland to Red Rock Books, Brax Curran, Esther McKenna, Devanne Fredette, Janis Kunz, Margit Stallings, and Holly Berry as an expression of tremendous gratitude for their work on the show and willingness to step up and help in times of difficulty. They are superstars. Congratulations!

Some of our Special Commedation winners. Congrats!

For our 10th anniversary, we created the brand-new Ruby Hand Award for Achievements in Design. The Ruby Hand recognizes excellence in the various field of technical theatrical design from set, costumes, makeup, hair, lighting, sound, music, choreography, publicity and more. Members working on the production vote anonymously for the best technical design of the show on opening night, and the winning designers who receive the most votes are awarded on the production’s closing night. Not every production will present the award based on the show’s scale or technical elements. Designs that tie in votes both receive the award. Designers can win the award multiple times. Congratulations to Murolo Patchin and Libby Mitchell for your Ruby Hand Award-winning costume design!

Congratulations Murolo and Libby!

The Partners in Crime Award was created to honor the guest writers who contribute their fabulous talents to the creation of a Master Mystery Production. Each award is customized based on the first show the writer creates. Without their contributions in the forms of ideas or actual writing, our amazing shows would never happen.

Congratulations to Devanne Fredette for winning the Partners in Crime Award for Malice in Wonderland! With this award, she becomes only the second person in MMP history to win all the company awards–The Skeleton Key, the Diamond Mask, the Ruby Hand, The Special Commendation, the Partners in Crime, and the Founder’s Award!

Congratulations Devanne!

Malice in Wonderland embraces the future of theatre and MMP, which slots perfectly with the mission of our 10th anniversary. New ideas. New voices. New perspectives. New opportunities. We were immensley proud of our growing community of artists and the growth of the young talent we encouraged to join the show. We watched kids grow into superstar actors, young designers take their first steps into theatrical design, and the debut of a playwright and director. This is what makes MMP such a special place to be. We loved working with everyone on this show. Bravo!

Youth Cast gives their director a group hug.
The Adult Cast (and directors) of Malice in Wonderland

The fun doesn’t stop this year. We have a slew of digital productions we are preparing for this season. Ex Luna will take actors to the moon and back, and Visions of Sugarplums will whisk us back to 1930’s London for a festive crime wave at a English ballet. We will be posting about their casting call soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

–Master Mystery Productions

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