The transcript captures a staged Grade‑3 musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland performed by children. The scene centers on Alice, who is distracted by the beauty of a spring garden, a robin’s nest, and day‑dreams of a whimsical Wonderland. Her teacher, Edith, repeatedly pulls Alice back to the classroom, emphasizing the importance of poetry, discipline, and conformity to societal expectations. The dialogue alternates between spoken lines and sung refrains, with additional chorus voices (Speaker A and Speaker D) echoing themes of imagination, the scent of flowers, and the tension between dreaming and reality. The piece juxtaposes the child’s yearning for adventure and creative expression against the adult’s insistence on order, using references to classic poetry (the “You are old, Father William” stanza) and musical motifs to highlight the conflict. The performance serves both as an educational showcase of literary appreciation and a dramatized exploration of childhood curiosity versus structured learning.
Chapters
Alice, Alice, where are you? Alice!
Oh, there you are! What on earth have you been doing?
Oh, I'm sorry, Edith. Please don't be cross. It's just that it's such a nice, warm, beautiful spring day, and I was walking in the garden with Dinah. And I just couldn't resist saying hello to Mother Robin and her babes in the nest. You know she has 4 of them now?
See?
No, I did not know. Alice, you can play with the robins another time. We should be getting on with your lessons now. We're running quite late and Mother will be cross.
Oh, alright, if we must. Now, where was I up to? Oh yes. You are old Father Williams, as I mentioned before, and you have grown most uncommonly. Commonly flat.
Flat? It's fat, not flat. Pay attention, Alice. Poetry is a very important part of an education for a well-brought-up girl.
Oh, Edith, I'm tired of doing poetry. We go through this every single day. Why, this silly book doesn't even have any pictures or conversations in it. What's the use in that?
Why, Alice, most of the greatest books ever written only contain words. Just think of Shakespeare and Chaucer and, and—
Oh, surely there is more to life than reading boring books by boring authors about nothing in particular. I want more adventure in my life. Everything is so predictable. Why can't things be fun and topsy-turvy for a change?
Oh, Alice, this is the world we live in, and you're never going to get ahead in the world if you don't learn to conform to it.
I'm tired of studying books, Kajisi. I don't care about poets or geography. There's no point in lessons for someone like me. Please tell me you understand. The scent of the flowers, the hum of the bees. There's so much to do, oh, there's so much to see. A world full of wonders just waiting for me.
Dreaming of Wonderland. Imagine a land where the sun always shines and rainbows appear before your very eyes.
You talk to the birds and the rabbit will say, "Good morning, Miss Alice, do you have a nice day?" Though daydreaming amongst the daisies is nice, you'll never go far if you jump left and right.
So pay some attention and take my advice, get out of that Wonderland.
La la la dee da da da. La la la dee da da da. Oh, can't you see it's a dream? La la la dee da da da da da. Stop playing around, get your feet on the ground. Your head's in the clouds, you know it's sad. Your wishes and daydreams and pets you hope are not suitable for a boy or girl.
The scent of the flowers.
Oh, Finn, oh, Gabby!
Stop talking such rubbish and listen to me. It's time to grow up and face reality.
So forget all your plans. Forget all my dreams. And forget about Wonderland. No, no, I won't do it. I won't forget about Wonderland.
It's all very well dreaming about a wonderland, but reality is what's important. Now come along then, let's try the poem again. I'll read it and then you say it after. You are old, Father William, said the young man, and your hair has become very white.
