Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland (The Triple Door)

It was a wonderfully eclectic and bubbly packed house at The Triple Door, which greeted the yearly return of a show which has quickly become an unconventional Seattle favorite, Lily and Jasper’s “Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland”. As if Lewis Carroll’s heavily symbolic tale could become any more peculiar, Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann take serious creative license and drive the original vision headlong into uncharted waters, by producing a thoroughly entertaining, artistic and polished burlesque retelling of the classic coming of age account of Alice which continues to engage and delight audiences.

The story opens with a grown Alice, played by the captivating Inga Ingénue, alone in her room musing about the tedium of life until she catches a reflection of herself in the looking-glass. She is drawn to her reflection in the mirror which seems alien to her. Instead of her golden hair, the reflection is adorned with tresses of black. Even Alice’s black and white dress is mirrored in reverse. As fanciful tales so often do, the impossible becomes possible and her curiosity leads her to pass through the looking-glass to a vibrant wondrous world which is anything but tired and familiar. There she meets the black-haired reflection of herself, played by the charming Lou Henry Hoover, who acts as her guide through wonderland. Ingénue, a master of her craft, and Hoover were wicked perfection together, playing off of each other as the two versions of Alice. Their emotive "Feathery Fantasy" routine was soulful and memorable.