User:Andrew2lu/sandbox

'Twas Brillig is a musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kienitz with music by Andrew Lu and Emil Ernström. Loosely based on the characters of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the musical follows Mary Pickett and the characters of Wonderland as they prepare for the coronation of the new Queen. The show was the second production by A Theatre Near U, a theatre and film academy for teenagers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It debuted at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts SecondStage in June 2015 under the direction of Tony Kienitz and Tanna Herr.

Cast
The original cast of  'Twas Brillig consisted of 18 teenage actors from around the San Francisco Bay Area, hailing from 11 different schools.

Creative Staff
The original production of  'Twas Brillig was produced by Tanna Herr and was co-directed by Tony Kientiz and Tanna Herr. Musical direction was by Andrew Lu, with additional vocal direction by Piece Peter Brandt. The show featured heavy choreography by Kaylie Caires, with Nicole Meador designing the tap choreography. Scenic design was by Tony Kienitz, lighting design by Katherine Craig, and sound design by Edward Park.

Music
The original score for  'Twas Brillig featured lyrics by Tony Kienitz and music by Andrew Lu and Emil Ernström. The following is the song list for the production:

Music to "All Over Me" is written by Will Kast "If" and "When" feature melodies adpated from "Volgendo a me lo sguardo" from Giovaani Bononcini's Griselda Lyrics for "Beautiful Soup" and "Haddock's Eyes" are adapted from poems by Lewis Carroll
 * Act I
 * 'Twas Brillig - Company
 * All Over Me - Wiggy
 * I G.Y.B. - Mary, Vicky, and Connie
 * Father Phil's Philosophy - Theo
 * Beautiful Soup - MT and Slithy Toves
 * If - Eugenia
 * Toc Tic - Little Ben and Company
 * Act II
 * 4:15 - Theo and Company
 * When - Eugenius and Eugenia
 * I Know Everything About You - Jesse, Mary, Vicky, Connie, and Slithy Toves
 * What's Upon the Road Ahead? - Mary
 * Haddock's Eyes - Wiggy
 * Seconds of Love - Speedo, Slithy Toves, Theo, Tom, Jesse, Dodo, Little Ben, and Wiggy
 * 'Twas Brillig (Reprise) - Company

Orchestrations
Orchestrations for  'Twas Brillig were written by Andrew Lu and Emil Ernström. Due to space restrictions of the original production venue, the score calls for a small orchestra of six players. "All Over Me" is performed with an on-stage acoustic guitar without additional accompaniment.
 * Bb Clarinet
 * 2 Alto Saxophones
 * Electric Keyboard
 * Electric Bass
 * Drum set and small auxiliary percussion

In addition to the songs, several instrumental numbers were written as scene-change music and underscoring.:
 * Smooth Soup
 * Queen's Processional
 * "It's Brillig!"
 * Mary's Exit
 * My Lobster
 * The Plan/Wiggy's Exit
 * "I Knew She'd Do It"
 * Bows
 * Exit Music

Critical Reception
Although  'Twas Brillig received few reviews, the overall reception to the show was positive. Critic John Orr of Regarding Arts described  'Twas Brillig as "ambitious" but "is in need of trimming and polishing if it is to go on and become something," but cited the educational value of the original show for the young actors. Additionally, he praised the music as "most impressive element," noting the instrumental passages. Orr also praised the performances of several actors.