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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Alice in Wonderland, by Alice Gerstenberg

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Title: Alice in Wonderland
       A Dramatization of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in
       Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"

Author: Alice Gerstenberg

Release Date: March 26, 2011 [EBook #35688]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

[Illustration: ALICE: You're Humpty Dumpty! Just like an egg. [Page 24]]




  Alice in Wonderland

  A dramatization of Lewis Carroll's
  "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and
  "Through the Looking Glass"


  By Alice Gerstenberg

  Author of "The Conscience of Sarah Platt",
  "Unquenched Fire," "A Little World," etc.

  Chicago
  A.C.Mc.Clurg & Co.
  1915




  Copyright
  A. C. McCLURG & CO.
  1915


  Published December, 1915


  Rights to produce this play in all countries of the world
  are reserved by Alice Gerstenberg


  W. F. MAEL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO




[Illustration: TO THE MEMORY OF LEWIS CARROLL]




This dramatic rendering of _Alice in Wonderland_, by Alice Gerstenberg of
Chicago, was produced by The Players Producing Company of Chicago (Aline
Barnsdall and Arthur Bissell), at the Fine Arts Theater, Chicago, February
11, 1915. After a successful run it opened at the Booth Theater, New York,
March 23, 1915.

The scenery and the costumes were designed by William Penhallow Henderson
of Chicago.

The music was written by Eric De Lamarter of Chicago.

The advertising posters and cards were designed by Jerome Blum of Chicago.

The illustrations of the characters of the play in this book were drawn by
J. Allen St. John from photographs by Victor Georg of Chicago.

W. H. Gilmore staged the play with the following cast:

  LEWIS CARROLL       Frank Stirling
  ALICE               Vivian Tobin
  RED QUEEN           Florence LeClercq
  WHITE QUEEN         Mary Servoss
  WHITE RABBIT        Donald Gallaher
  HUMPTY DUMPTY       Alfred Donohoe
  GRYPHON             Fred W. Permain
  MOCK TURTLE         Geoffrey Stein
  MAD HATTER          Geoffrey Stein
  MARCH HARE          Fred W. Permain
  DORMOUSE            J. Gunnis Davis
  FROG FOOTMAN        Walter Kingsford
  DUCHESS             Kenyon Bishop
  CHESHIRE CAT        Alfred Donohoe
  KING OF HEARTS      Frederick Annerly
  QUEEN OF HEARTS     Winifred Hanley
  KNAVE OF HEARTS     Foxhall Daingerfield
  CATERPILLAR         Walter Kingsford
  TWO OF SPADES       Rule Pyott
  FIVE OF SPADES      France Bendtsen
  SEVEN OF SPADES     John A. Rice




Alice in Wonderland


THE SCENES

ACT I

  Scene I--Alice's Home.
  Scene II--The Room in the Looking Glass.
  Scene III--The Hall with Doors.
  Scene IV--The Sea Shore.

ACT II

  Scene----The March Hare's Garden.

ACT III

  Scene I--The Garden of Flowers.
  Scene II--The Court of Hearts.
  Scene III--Alice's Home.

Miss Gerstenberg's manuscript called for costumes after the illustrations
of John Tenniel, and scenery of the simple imaginative type, the "new art"
in the theater.




ALICE IN WONDERLAND




Alice in Wonderland




ACT I


SCENE ONE

_ALICE'S home. LEWIS CARROLL is discovered, playing chess. Golden-haired
ALICE, in a little blue dress, a black kitten in her arms, stands watching
him._


ALICE

That's a funny game, uncle. What did you do then?


CARROLL

A red pawn took a white pawn; this way. You see, Alice, the chessboard is
divided into sixty-four squares, red and white, and the white army tries
to win and the red army tries to win. It's like a battle!


ALICE

With soldiers?


CARROLL

Yes, here are the Kings and Queens they are fighting for. That's the Red
Queen and here's the White Queen.


ALICE

How funny they look!


CARROLL

See the crowns on their heads, and look at their big feet.


ALICE

It's a foot apiece, that's what it is! Do they hump along like this?


CARROLL

Here! You're spoiling the game. I must keep them all in their right
squares.


ALICE

I want to be a queen!


CARROLL

Here _you_ are [_he points to a small white pawn_] here _you_ are in your
little stiff skirt!


ALICE

How do you do, Alice!


CARROLL

And now you are going to move here.


ALICE

Let me move myself.


CARROLL

When you have traveled all along the board this way and haven't been taken
by the enemy you may be a queen.


ALICE

Why do people always play with kings and queens? Mother has them in her
playing cards too. Look!

[_ALICE goes to the mantel and takes a pack of playing cards from the
ledge._]

Here's the King of Hearts and here's his wife; she's the Queen of
Hearts--isn't she cross-looking? wants to bite one's head off.

[_CARROLL moves a pawn._]

You're playing against yourself, aren't you?


CARROLL

That's one way of keeping in practice, Alice; I have friends in the
university who want to beat me.


ALICE

But if you play against yourself I should think you'd want to cheat!


CARROLL

Does a nice little girl like you cheat when she plays against herself?


ALICE

Oh! I _never_ do! I'd scold myself hard. I always pretend I'm _two_ people
too. It's lots of fun, isn't it? Sometimes when I'm all alone I walk up to
the looking glass and talk to the other Alice. She's so silly, that Alice;
she can't do anything by herself. She just mocks me all the time. When I
laugh, she laughs, when I point my finger at her, she points her finger at
me, and when I stick my tongue out at her she sticks her tongue out at me!
Kitty has a twin too, haven't you darling?

[_ALICE goes to the mirror to show Kitty her twin._]


CARROLL

I'll have to write a book some day about Alice--Alice in wonderland,
"Child of the pure unclouded brow and dreaming eyes of wonder!" or, Alice
through the looking glass!


ALICE

Don't you wish sometimes you could go into looking-glass house? See!

[_ALICE stands on an armchair and looks into the mirror._]

There's the room you can see through the glass; it's just the same as our
living-room here, only the things go the other way. I can see all of
it--all but the bit just behind the fireplace. Oh! I do wish I could see
that bit! I want so much to know if they've a fire there. You never _can_
tell, you know, unless our fire smokes. Then smoke comes up in that room
too--but that may be just to make it look as if they had a fire--just to
pretend they had. The books are something like our books, only the words
go the wrong way. Won't there ever be any way of our getting through,
uncle?


CARROLL

Do you think Kitty would find looking-glass milk digestible?


ALICE

It doesn't sound awful good, does it; but I might leave her at home. She's
been into an awful lot of mischief today. She found sister's knitting and
chased the ball all over the garden where sister was playing croquet with
the neighbors. And I ran and ran after the naughty little thing until I
was all out of breath and so tired! I am tired.

[_She yawns and makes herself comfortable in the armchair._]


CARROLL

[_Replaces the playing cards on the mantel and consults his watch._]

Take a nap. Yes, you have time before tea.


ALICE

[_Half asleep._]

We're going to have mock turtle soup for supper! I heard mamma tell the
cook not to pepper it too much.


CARROLL

What a funny little rabbit it is, nibbling all the time!

[_He leans gently over the back of her chair, and seeing that she is
going to sleep puts out the lamp light and leaves the room. A red glow
from the fireplace illumines ALICE._]

[_Dream music. A bluish light reveals the RED CHESS QUEEN and the WHITE
CHESS QUEEN in the mirror._]


RED QUEEN

[_Points to ALICE and says in a mysterious voice._]

There she is, let's call her over.


WHITE QUEEN

Do you think she'll come?


RED QUEEN

I'll call softly, Alice!


WHITE QUEEN

Hist, Alice.


RED QUEEN

Alice!


WHITE QUEEN

Hush--if she wakes and catches us--


BOTH QUEENS

Alice, come through into looking-glass house!

[_Their hands beckon her._]


ALICE

[_Rises, and talks sleepily. The Queens disappear. ALICE climbs from the
arm of the chair to the back of another and so on up to the mantel ledge,
where she picks her way daintily between the vases._]

I--don't--know--how--I--can--get--through. I've tried--before--but the
glass was hard--and I was afraid of cutting--my fingers--

[_She feels the glass and is amazed to find it like gauze._]

Why, it's soft like gauze; it's turning into a sort of mist; why, it's
easy to get through! _Why--why_--I'm going _through_!

[_She disappears._]


SCENE TWO

[_Is Scene One, reversed. The portieres are black and red squares like a
chessboard. A soft radiance follows the characters mysteriously. As the
curtain rises ALICE comes through the looking glass; steps down, looks
about in wonderment and goes to see if there is a "fire." The RED QUEEN
rises out of the grate and faces her haughtily._]


ALICE

Why, you're the Red Queen!


RED QUEEN

Of course I am! Where do you come from? And where are you going? Look up,
speak nicely, and don't twiddle your fingers!


ALICE

I only wanted to see what the looking glass was like. Perhaps I've lost my
way.


RED QUEEN

I don't know what you mean by your way; all the ways about here belong to
_me_. Curtsey while you're thinking what to say. It saves time.


ALICE

I'll try it when I go home; the next time I'm a little late for dinner.


RED QUEEN

It's time for you to answer now; open your mouth a _little_ wider when you
speak, and always say, "Your Majesty." I suppose you don't want to lose
your name?


ALICE

No, indeed.


RED QUEEN

And yet I don't know, only think how convenient it would be if you could
manage to go home without it! For instance, if the governess wanted to
call you to your lessons, she would call out "come here," and there she
would have to leave off, because there wouldn't be any name for her to
call, and of course you wouldn't have to go, you know.


ALICE

That would never do, I'm sure; the governess would never think of excusing
me from lessons for that. If she couldn't remember my name, she'd call me
"Miss," as the servants do.


RED QUEEN

Well, if she said "Miss," and didn't say anything more, of course you'd
miss your lessons. I dare say you can't even read this book.


ALICE

It's all in some language I don't know. Why, it's a looking-glass book, of
course! And if I hold it up to a glass, the words will all go the right
way again.

  JABBERWOCKY

  'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
    Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
  All mimsy were the borogoves,
    And the mome raths outgrabe.

It seems very pretty, but it's _rather_ hard to understand; somehow it
seems to fill my head with ideas--only I don't exactly know what they are.


RED QUEEN

I daresay you don't know your geography either. Look at the map!

[_She takes a right angle course to the portieres and points to them with
her sceptre._]


ALICE

It's marked out just like a big chessboard. I wouldn't mind being a pawn,
though of course I should like to be a Red Queen best.


RED QUEEN

That's easily managed. When you get to the eighth square you'll be a
Queen. It's a huge game of chess that's being played--all over the world.
Come on, we've got to run. Faster, don't try to talk.


ALICE

I can't.


RED QUEEN

Faster, faster.


ALICE

Are we nearly there?


RED QUEEN

Nearly there! Why, we passed it ten minutes ago. Faster. You may rest a
little now.


ALICE

Why, I do believe we're in the same place. Everything's just as it was.


[Illustration]


RED QUEEN

Of course it is, what would you have it?


ALICE

Well, in our country you'd generally get to somewhere else--if you ran
very fast for a long time as we've been doing.


RED QUEEN

A slow sort of country. Now _here_ you see, it takes all the running _you_
can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you
must run at least twice as fast as that.


ALICE

I'd rather not try, please! I'm quite content to stay here--only I _am_ so
hot and thirsty.


RED QUEEN

I know what you'd like.

[_She takes a little box out of her pocket._]

Have a biscuit?

[_ALICE, not liking to refuse, curtseys as she takes the biscuit and
chokes._]


RED QUEEN

While you're refreshing yourself, I'll just take the measurements.

[_She takes a ribbon out of her pocket and measures the map with it._]

At the end of two yards I shall give you your directions--have another
biscuit?


ALICE

No thank you, one's _quite_ enough.


RED QUEEN

Thirst quenched, I hope? At the end of three yards I shall repeat
them--for fear of your forgetting them. At the end of _four_, I shall say
good-bye. And at the end of five, I shall go! That Square belongs to
Humpty Dumpty and that Square to the Gryphon and Mock Turtle and that
Square to the Queen of Hearts. But you make no remark?


ALICE

I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then.


RED QUEEN

You _should_ have said, "It's extremely kind of you to tell me all this,"
however, we'll suppose it said. Four! Good-bye! Five!

[_RED QUEEN vanishes in a gust of wind behind the portieres. Rabbit
music. WHITE RABBIT comes out of the fireplace and walks about the room
hurriedly. He wears a checked coat, carries white kid gloves in one hand,
a fan in the other and takes out his watch to look at it anxiously._]


WHITE RABBIT

Oh the Duchess! the Duchess! Oh! won't she be savage if I've kept her
waiting!


ALICE

I've never seen a rabbit with a waistcoat and a watch! And a waistcoat
pocket! If you please, sir--


WHITE RABBIT

Oh!

[_He drops fan and gloves in fright and dashes out by way of the portieres
in a gust of wind. ALICE picks up the fan and playfully puts on the
gloves. The portieres flap in the breeze and a shawl flies in._]


ALICE

[_Catches the shawl and looks about for the owner; then meets the WHITE
QUEEN._]

I'm very glad I happened to be in the way.


WHITE QUEEN

[_Runs in wildly, both arms stretched out wide as if she were flying, and
cries in a helpless frightened way._]

Bread-and-butter, bread-and-butter.


ALICE

Am I addressing the White Queen?


WHITE QUEEN

Well, yes, if you call that a-dressing. It isn't my notion of the thing,
at all.


ALICE

If your Majesty will only tell me the right way to begin, I'll do it as
well as I can.


WHITE QUEEN

But I don't want it done at all. I've been a-dressing myself for the last
two hours.


ALICE

Every single thing's crooked, and you're all over pins; may I put your
shawl straight for you?


WHITE QUEEN

I don't know what's the matter with it! It's out of temper. I've pinned it
here, and I've pinned it there, but there's no pleasing it.


ALICE

It _can't_ go straight, you know, if you pin it all on one side, and dear
me, what a state your hair is in!


WHITE QUEEN

The brush has got entangled in it! And I lost the comb yesterday.


ALICE

[_Takes out the brush and arranges the QUEEN'S hair._]

You look better now! But really you should have a lady's maid!


WHITE QUEEN

I'm sure I'll take you with pleasure. Two pence a week and jam every other
day.


ALICE

[_Who cannot help laughing._]

I don't want you to hire me--and I don't care for jam.


WHITE QUEEN

It's very good jam.


ALICE

Well, I don't want any today, at any rate.


WHITE QUEEN

You couldn't have it if you _did_ want it. The rule is, jam tomorrow and
jam yesterday--but never jam today.


ALICE

It must come sometimes to "jam today."


WHITE QUEEN

No, it can't, it's jam every _other_ day; today isn't any _other_ day, you
know.


ALICE

I don't understand you, it's dreadfully confusing!


WHITE QUEEN

That's the effect of living backwards, it always makes one a little giddy
at first--


ALICE

Living backwards! I never heard of such a thing!


WHITE QUEEN

But there's one great advantage in it--that one's memory works both ways.


ALICE

I'm sure _mine_ only works one way. I can't remember things before they
happen.


WHITE QUEEN

It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.


ALICE

What sort of things do you remember best?


WHITE QUEEN

Oh, things that happened the week after next. For instance now:

[_She sticks a large piece of plaster on her finger._]

There's the King's messenger--he's in prison being punished; and the trial
doesn't even begin till next Wednesday; and of course the crime comes last
of all.


ALICE

Suppose he never commits the crime?


WHITE QUEEN

[_Binding the plaster with ribbon._]

That would be all the better, wouldn't it?


ALICE

Of course it would be all the better, but it wouldn't be all the better
his being punished.


WHITE QUEEN

You're wrong _there_, at any rate; were _you_ ever punished?


ALICE

Only for faults.


WHITE QUEEN

And you were all the better for it, I know!


ALICE

Yes, but then I _had_ done the things I was punished for; that makes all
the difference.


WHITE QUEEN

But if you hadn't done them that would have been better still; better and
better and better!


ALICE

There's a mistake somewhere--


WHITE QUEEN

[_Screams like an engine whistle, and shakes her hand._]

Oh, Oh, Oh! My finger's bleeding. Oh, Oh, Oh!


ALICE

What _is_ the matter? Have you pricked your finger?


WHITE QUEEN

I haven't pricked it yet--but I soon shall--Oh, Oh, Oh!


ALICE

When do you expect to do it?


WHITE QUEEN

When I fasten my shawl again; the brooch will come undone directly. Oh,
Oh!

[_Brooch flies open and she clutches it wildly._]


ALICE

Take care! you're holding it all crooked!


WHITE QUEEN

[_Pricks her finger and smiles._]

That accounts for the bleeding, you see; now you understand the way things
happen here.


ALICE

But why don't you scream now?


[Illustration]


WHITE QUEEN

Why, I've done all the screaming already. What would be the good of having
it all over again? Oh! it's time to run if you want to stay in the same
place! Come on!


ALICE

No, no! Not so fast! I'm getting dizzy!!


WHITE QUEEN

Faster, faster!


ALICE

Everything's black before my eyes!

[_There is music, and the sound of rushing wind, and in the darkness the
WHITE QUEEN cries: "Faster, faster"; ALICE gasps: "I can't--please stop";
and the QUEEN replies: "Then you can't stay in the same place. I'll have
to drop you behind. Faster--faster, good-bye."_]


SCENE THREE

_When the curtain rises one sees nothing but odd black lanterns with
orange lights, hanging, presumably, from the sky. The scene lights up
slowly revealing ALICE seated on two large cushions. She has been "dropped
behind" by the WHITE QUEEN and is dazed to find herself in a strange hall
with many peculiar doors and knobs too high to reach._


ALICE

Oh! my head! Where am I? Oh dear, Oh dear!

[_She staggers up and to her amazement finds herself smaller than the
table._]

I've never been smaller than any table before! I've always been able to
reach the knobs! What a curious feeling. Oh! I'm shrinking. It's the
fan--the gloves!

[_She throws them away, feels her head and measures herself against table
and doors._]

Oh! saved in time! But I never--never--


WHITE RABBIT

Oh! my fan and gloves! Where _are_ my--


ALICE

Oh! Mr. Rabbit--please help me out--I want to go home--I want to go home--


WHITE RABBIT

Oh! the Duchess! Oh! my fur and whiskers! She'll get me executed, as sure
as ferrets are ferrets! Oh! _you_ have them!


ALICE

I'm sorry--you dropped them, you know--


WHITE RABBIT

[_Picks up fan and gloves and patters off._]

She'll chop off your head!


ALICE

If you please sir--where am I?--won't you please--tell me how to get
out--I want to get out--


WHITE RABBIT

[_Looking at his watch._]

Oh! my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting.

[_A trap door gives way and RABBIT disappears. ALICE dashes after only in
time to have the trap door bang in her face._]


ALICE

[_Amazed._]

It's a rabbit-hole--I'm small enough to fit it too! If I shrink any more
it might end in my going out altogether like a candle. I wonder what I
would be like then! What does the flame of a candle look like after the
candle is blown out? I've never seen such a thing!


HUMPTY DUMPTY

[_Sits on the wall._]

Don't stand chattering to yourself like that, but tell me your name and
your business.


ALICE

My _name_ is Alice, but--


HUMPTY DUMPTY

It's a stupid name enough, what does it mean?


ALICE

_Must_ a name mean something?


HUMPTY DUMPTY

Of course it must; _my_ name means the shape I am--and a good, handsome
shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.


ALICE

You're Humpty Dumpty! Just like an egg.


HUMPTY DUMPTY

It's _very_ provoking, to be called an egg--_very_.


ALICE

I said you _looked_ like an egg, Sir, and some eggs are very pretty, you
know.


HUMPTY DUMPTY

Some people have no more sense than a baby.


ALICE

Why do you sit here all alone?


HUMPTY DUMPTY

Why, because there's nobody with me. Did you think I didn't know the
answer to _that_? Ask another.


ALICE

Don't you think you'd be safer down on the ground? That wall's so very
narrow.


HUMPTY DUMPTY

What tremendously easy riddles you ask! Of course I don't think so. Take a
good look at me! I'm one that has spoken to a king, I am; to show you I'm
not proud, you may shake hands with me!

[_He leans forward to offer ALICE his hand but she is too small to reach
it._]

However, this conversation is going on a little too fast; let's go back to
the last remark but one.


ALICE

I'm afraid I can't remember it.


HUMPTY DUMPTY

In that case