They're dressing up for 'Wonderland'

Imagine the Mad Hatter from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" as a power-hungry woman whose couture is inspired by Napoleon, rock stars and Harley-Davidson.

Those are the images that costume designer Susan Hilferty fused to create a new look for a familiar literary character.

Hilferty has created about 100 costumes for "Wonderland," the new musical being created at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.

With 15 songs and a cast of 25, the play is the first home-grown production for the former Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center with the goal of going to Broadway.

The $3.5 million "Wonderland" is a modern-day singing, dancing spin on Lewis Carroll's literary classic. Rehearsals were held for weeks. Preview performances began Tuesday, and the world premiere will be on Saturday.

Broadway veteran Hilferty, who won a costume design Tony Award for "Wicked," says each character will have a unique look, specific to the musical but paying homage to the original.

"Alice, the cat, the caterpillar, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts and all others have to be a part of the world that we create in this version," says Hilferty, who has designed costumes for more than 300 productions.

Creating a new look

Part of the challenge was coming up a new look for iconic characters.

"The Queen of Hearts (Karen Mason) is unlike any you have ever seen," Hilferty says. "I made her like a deck of cards splayed in a glamorous way.

"Our story is set in present-day Manhattan and so it has a contemporary look," she says. "But there also is a fantasy element when Alice goes down the rabbit hole and into a world that springs from her imagination."

"Wonderland" begins with a rooftop garden party to honor author Alice Cornwinkle (Janet Dacal), a descendant of Carroll's muse Alice Liddell.

She is supposed to entertain her smart, sophisticated friends but is nearing a nervous breakdown. She is struggling with her career and marriage and having trouble relating to her young daughter, Chloe (Julie Brooks).

"There is an assumption that the leading lady will have the most glamorous costumes and the most costumes," Hilferty says. "In this case, our Alice is the least glamorous, and while she changes emotionally, her costume doesn't change.

"She arrives at the party wearing red, while everyone else is dressed to the hilt in blacks and whites. They are all very haute. These people at the party will become the characters that she meets in Wonderland."

Even the doorman and elevator operator become part of Alice's psychosis.

Alice's conniving and power-hungry assistant (Nikki Snelson) becomes the Mad Hatter.

"In creating her costume, I wanted to convey those characteristics, so I thought of Napoleon and the look of a rock star and an airbrushed Harley-Davidson," Hilferty says. "She is surrounded by female soldiers who look tough and gorgeous and serve as a backup band."

The songs in "Wonderland" range from ballads to pop and rock numbers.

The look of the traditional Alice is reflected in her daughter Chloe, Hilferty says.

Even a white knight

Alice's husband, Jack (Darren Ritchie), becomes a Prince Charming character dressed as a polo player.

The polo theme connects the character to horses and royalty, she says. He also is the leader of a boy band, so he wears dark glasses.

"I love the Alice stories, and I love this idea of somebody on a quest," says Hilferty, who has used Carroll's stories for 13 years in design classes she teaches at New York University.

She also is familiar with the previous incarnations of the story, including the 1932 stage version by Florida Friebus.

"I bring this history and knowledge of literature to the creative process," she says, noting that it is a collaborative effort.

She works closely with "Wonderland" composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Jack Murphy as well as Emmy-winning choreographer Marguerite Derricks.

"The characters have to have costumes that allow them to dance," she says.

Hilferty first creates sketches, communicating through a pencil her vision for the costumes. For the 100 costumes in "Wonderland," she went through 600 to 700 sketches to reach her goal.

"This is what I love to do," she says. "You are always inventing a world, and every play becomes my own quest. ... I think the audience will see the familiar in these characters and at the same time find surprises."