Alice In Wonderland (part III)

Lewis Carroll was nothing more than a mathematician disguised as a writer. His clever word rhymes were always a little corny. His writings were always a little too precise. The math mind can do funny things in the world of literature. He certainly didn’t have anything to do with Alice’s Adventures, even though he had always received credit. It was really the glassmaker that made the story such a great story. Louis Comfort created Alice. He made Alice who she is, which has always been a bone of contention. Alice is now a bitter woman. She’s a drunken woman, and a mean woman, and not anything like what she used to be. She’s gruff and cagey, and she likes her money upfront. Alice doesn’t have Adventures for free anymore.
Spending a lifetime trapped in fantasy has taken a toll. Poor Alice now has a hard time being herself. She’s been dressed up as Alice in Wonderland for so long, she no longer knows who the real Alice is. She’s tired and ready to call it a career, ready to walk away while still on top, or down, or wherever the hell Alice is these days. She’s drunk and mean, and usually hacking on her cigarette smoke. Don’t cross Alice, because Alice will fight back. Playing Alice in Wonderland for a lifetime would take a toll on any actress. If Louis Comfort had known things would be so difficult, he may have created something entirely different for Alice. His fantasy had come at the hands of Alice’s demise. Poor Alice had become lost in the fantasy, or maybe it was the bourbon and the cigarettes, or the other things that Alice did to make herself feel better.
And now a West Coast producer wants to bring the show to The Burning Man Festival. They are willing to pay top dollar to bring Louis Comfort, and Alice, and the “Rabbit Hole,” into the desert. Alice will have to work hard on this gig. She’s going to be tired and grumpy. Luckily, she’s an “old pro.” They’re going to put Louis’ glass into the desert and see what happens. This will be Alice’s swan song. Or so Alice tells me, when she calls to invite me, insisting that I bring my elderly Grandmother. My Grandmother still doesn’t believe that Alice is real.
Alice in Wonderland is very real and on a West Coast swing. They’re putting on the full production out in the desert. And I know that poor Alice is just trying to hold it all together. Alice has never been to The Burning Man Festival. She’s not quite sure what she’s up against. She has a case of bourbon and ten cartons of cigarettes. She’s ready. She’s able and willing to go that extra mile, even if it is out in the desert. Like I said, Alice is an “old pro.” Just don’t cross Alice, and stay away from her when she’s drunk.