Coal City Theatre Department restages ‘Alice by Heart’

The Coal City Theatre Department’s production of “Alice by Heart,” is returning to the Coal City Performing Arts Center stage for two performances this weekend before heading to the Illinois High School Theatre Festival.

Coal City’s production of “Alice by Heart” was the national high school premier of the musical. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, and Saturday, Jan. 6. Reserve tickets at bit.ly/CCTDTickets.

The musical has been selected as a showcase production at the 2024 theatre festival to be held Jan. 11-13 at Illinois State University in Bloomington. This is the largest and oldest high school theater festival in the nation and will be the first time a Coal City production will perform for the 4,000-plus students in attendance. The festival production audience is limited to students and directors attending the festival.

“Alice by Heart,” is a tale written by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson and inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” The musical features music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Sater. The Coal City Theater Department secured the rights through Music Theatre International prior to its general release for licensing by special assistance of Steven Sater.

The story tells of Alice Spencer, 15, who is forced to take shelter in the depths of London’s Underground Tube Station and the one possession she has is her book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” The words in the book allowed her to escape the reality of war or the heartache around her for only one golden afternoon.