Back Down the Rabbit Hole

In Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel, Alice falls from the quaint English countryside into a whirling subconsciousness thick with verse and whimsy, but in the new Ballet Fantastique adaptation, Wonderland gets remixed for the stage.

Alice in Wonderland, a new collaborative work from choreographer-producers Donna and Hannah Bontrager, shirks any expectation of traditional ballet by introducing Eugene’s own High Step Society to the Hult Center orchestra pit. High Step’s electro-swing spins vintage jazz through the laundry cycle of electronic dance music, and it comes out fresh, clean and surreal, a proper house-band for March hares, hookah-smoking caterpillars and Cheshire cats.

Hannah Bontrager plays Alice, the intrepid adventurer, as she navigates the court of the Queen of Hearts, a crazy croquet game, a lobster quadrille and the Mad Hatter’s tea party through a balletic series of movements that incorporate social dances and circus acrobatics.

This kaleidoscopic iteration of Wonderland includes a steampunked ensemble of more than 50 cast members. The project also represents a collaboration with a formidable team of female artists including international designer Allison Ditson, headpiece designer Mitra Chester, set painters Kelle DeForrest and Katey Finley, and Ballet Fantastique’s librettist-historian team of Genevieve and Deborah Speer.

So don’t be late for the very important date: Mother’s Day.

Alice in Wonderland plays 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 pm Sunday, May 11-13, at the Hult’s Soreng Theater; tickets $28-58 (students/youth $18-43), with $5 off regularly priced tickets for groups of five or more.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!