By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com

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Independent/Lane Hickenbottom (From left) Miranda Oberschulte and Erica McGregor rehearse for their roles as the White Rabbit and Alice, respectively, in Barr Middle School's presentation of "Alice in Wonderland." The students will perform the play in the Barr auditorium Thursday and Friday. Independent/Lane Hickenbottom Barr's performance of "Alice in Wonderland" will include the familiar characters wearing bright costumes, including Rylie Meyer, who portrays the Mad Hatter. Click Thumbnails to View

Erica McGregor, Rylie Meyer and Liz Brott said they became movie fans of "Alice in Wonderland" when they were younger, with McGregor and Meyer each having VCR tapes of the movie at home.

"I had Alice in mind," said McGregor about the part she wanted when she tried out for the eighth-grade play. "It was my first choice."

McGregor noted one of her favorite parts of the play was the Tea Party with the Mad Hatter.

As for the overall play, she said, it just has a lot of energy.

Mad Hatter Meyer also likes the Tea Party scene that includes Alice, the March Hare and the Dormouse.

"We get at each other," Meyer said. "We play off each other."

But Meyer said one of her favorite parts of the play when she is not on stage includes the interplay between Twiddledee and Twiddledum.

Brott said she wanted to be the Red Queen.

"I like to yell at everyone," she said. "I get to be the loudest. It's a part where you really get to sink your teeth into it, as my dad would say."

Although Brott does not have a copy of the movie at home, she still is a fan of the film version. However, she noted there are some things in the play that are not in the movie.

Brott thinks the public will enjoy the Barr production, whether or not they are fans of the movie version of "Alice in Wonderland."

"They'll like it," she predicted. "It's a fun play."

Director and Barr teacher John Haberman noted that he picked the play not because he was a fan of the movie, but because he thought he had the students who could fit all the various roles.

The Barr spring play is for eighth-graders, but Haberman noted that he works with both seventh- and eighth-grade students at Barr. That gives him ample time to figure out which students might fill which roles in particular productions.

Alice, the Red Queen and a few other parts are gender specific, Haberman said. But many of the roles are gender neutral and can be played by either a boy or a girl. Haberman said that gave him maximum flexibility in casting the play.

While the acting is the thing that makes a play, Haberman couldn't help but remark on the overall visual impact when many of the characters were on stage together.

"It's a colorful play," said Haberman of all the bright costumes.

He noted the three-act play should run about 90 minutes.