Janet Dacal: “WONDERLAND contains some very nice messages”

Composer Frank Wildhorn, lyricist and writer Jack Murphy and director Gregory Boyd have reinvented the classical tale `Alice in Wonderland´ by Lewis Carroll to create the new musical WONDERLAND. The show began performances at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway on March 21, and it opened officially on April 17 2011.

Janet Dacal plays the leading role in the musical, which shows an Alice who has turned into a woman of today. The actress made her Broadway debut in GOOD VIBRATIONS (2004). She originated the role of Carla on the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of IN THE HEIGHTS, and after starring in the world premiere of WONDERLAND in Florida at the end of 2009, she returned to Lin-Manuel Miranda´s show on February 2010 to play the role of Nina Rosario.

We have talked with Janet Dacal about the recent opening of WONDERLAND in New York, and about her artistic career on Broadway.

LAST SUNDAY WAS THE OPENING NIGHT OF ‘WONDERLAND’. HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE THAT EVENING?
It was a very special evening. My whole family was there, and my friends also were there, so it was really special to me. The audience reaction was great, they enjoyed the show. People were screaming and singing and having a good time.

HOW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE ‘WONDERLAND’ TO PEOPLE?
It´s a modern version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Alice is a woman that is going through a divorce, she has a daughter, a college degree and has dreams that she wants to achieve. In the course of a dream she realizes which things are important. The show contains some very nice messages and preserves characters from the book and the film: the Chesire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts... All of them are part of the show, but from a very different point of view.

WHAT WOULD YOU HIGHLIGHT FROM THE SCORE WRITTEN BY FRANK WILDHORN?
Frank is an incredible composer. He has a very well known pop sensitivity and his music is beautiful to sing. His songs are melodic, and as a singer it´s a pleasure to perform his music.

YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE SHOW SINCE ITS BEGINNING. HOW HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE WHOLE CREATION PROCESS OF ‘WONDERLAND’?
It has been a very interesting process. On every stage of the show we have found things that needed to be clarified or performed in a way or another. It has been a beautiful experience. I have learnt a lot from it and I´m having a really great time.

PREVIOUS TO ‘WONDERLAND’ YOU WERE IN THE SHOW ‘IN THE HEIGHTS’. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THE CREATION OF THESE TWO SHOWS?
This is the dream of every performer in New York, to be part of a new creation. I´ve been very fortunate to have had these opportunities. It´s great to be able of put some parts of you into a new character. It´s something really special. WONDERLAND and IN THE HEIGHTS are two different shows, and I learnt a lot from both.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING WHILST PLAYING THE ROLE OF ALICE?
The most challenging thing is that I´m on stage for almost two hours. I must take care of my voice, sleep and exercise to keep my voice and my body in shape. Being an actor is, in a sense, like being a professional athlete.

LUCKILY, THERE ARE PERFORMERS WHO CAN COVER YOU IF YOU NEED IT...
Of course! Being a cover it´s not easy! I was cover in the past and the truth is that they work three times harder than I do because they must know their roles and also the character they´re covering.

IN SOME INTERVIEWS YOU HAVE SAID THAT ONE OF THE BEST THINGS OF YOU PROFESSION IS TO BE ABLE TO WORKD WITH PEOPLE YOU ADMIRE...
That´s true! In WONDERLAND I´m working with Karen Mason, the Queen of Hearts. She is an exceptional woman, with a beautiful voice. I grew up listening to her songs, so to share the stage with her is really special for me.

YOUR BROADWAY DEBUT WAS WITH ‘GOOD VIBRATIONS’. HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP YOUR CAREER IN THESE LAST SEVEN YEARS?
It has been a dream. Each stage has taught me something and made me grow. I think everything has been the way it was supposed to be. I also have too much ahead of me to learn and I am eager to see what the future brings.

ALL ACTORS DREAM OF PLAYING A SHOW ON BROADWAY. YOU HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED THIS, SO DO YOU THINK THAT MAYBE THIS IS A TOO MUCH IDEALIZED DREAM?
No, I don´t think so. It entails much sacrifice, but if you are passionated about it, you are going to achieve it. The most important thing is being honest with yourself and to try to learn and be willing to work hard. If you fullfill these two things, it´s impossible not to succeed. And you need to keep dreaming.

DO YOU THINK THAT ‘IN THE HEIGHTS’ WAS A TURNING POINT FOR THE LATIN ARTISTS ON BROADWAY?
Sure it was. That musical was very special for me for many reasons, and it has given a new voice to the Latin artists on Broadway. Many of the performers who starred in IN THE HEIGHTS have done work afterwards that have nothing to do with being Latin. And I think this is a very important thing. The artist is an artist, no matter where she or he comes from.

AMONG YOUR PROJECTS THERE IS THE RECORDING OF AN ALBUM WITH SONGS BY FRANK WILDHORN. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS?
The album is still on a preliminary stage, but the objective is to release it before this year´s end.

Carly Rose Sonenclar, Janet Dacal and Darren Ritchie in WONDERLAND