CHECKING IN ON FIT: The Festival of Independent Theatres got going in earnest over the weekend at the Bath House Cultural Center with work from eight companies. If there’s one piece that everyone seems to be able to agree on, it’s White Rock Pollution’s Alice in Wonderland. “Director Tom Parr IV’s return to a Dallas stage after a year’s hiatus is a triumph of physical invention and melodious speech,” writes Lawson Taitte on dallasnews.com. “Alice in Wonderland on a teensy-weensy budget with minimal props and set pieces in an intimate black box space never looked so fantastic,” says Alexandra Bonifield. Mark Lowry calls it the best show from the first half of FIT. “It’s a treat for the imagination. This is one to see multiple times,” he writes on theaterjones.com. And rounding out the critical hosannas, Will Arbery writes on D’s Front Row blog, “It is always a joy to see talented performers embody the wide cast of wacky characters, and White Rock Pollution’s version is as good as any, if not better.” Your next chance to see it is Saturday at 2 p.m.

OVER HERE, OVER THERE: Have you been keeping up with Anne’s travels through Turkey? She’s there on a two-week trip with other local artsy types. You can check out her latest entry here.

QUOTABLE: “Squeeze your bottom. That’s the key to high notes. I have a big bottom, and big high notes.”
— Soprano Robin Flynn Jane Eaglen, discussing the tricks of the opera trade. (sfgate.com)