NYC celebrates 150th anniversary of 'Alice in Wonderland'

NEW YORK — New York City is marking the 150th anniversary of "Alice in Wonderland" with an array of events celebrating the adventures and characters in the beloved children's tale.

There's no shortage of wonderful offerings to reintroduce fans of Lewis Carroll's 1865 book to the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat — from an exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum to a walking tour of two Alice statues in Central Park.

The events are coordinated by the Lewis Carroll Society's Alice150 Week celebration, which also includes readings and conferences.

Through Nov. 21, the Grolier Club, a society for book lovers, looks at how the many translations of the book have been able to interpret Carroll's wordplay, puns, nonsense and cultural references. ("Curiouser and curiouser!")

A Columbia University exhibition, open through Jan. 29, features memorabilia from its 1932 centennial celebration, when an honorary degree was awarded to Alice Liddell Hargreaves, on whom the fictional character was based. The school is also presenting "Through the Looking Glass Darkly," a one-man show starring Andrew Sellon on Oct. 6-7 that depicts a private meeting with the book's author.

Bobst Library at New York University has an assortment of Alice ephemera in an exhibit called "Go Ask Alice: Alice, Wonderland and Popular Culture" through Dec. 11.

The New York Public Library is showcasing its Alice archive of dance, theater and music materials and will hold screenings of Alice films through Jan. 16.

On Oct. 10, visitors to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab can create their own animated wonderland using Alice illustrations and characters. It will also screen two "Alice in Wonderland" films, the 1951 Walt Disney version and the 2010 Tim Burton adaptation.

An "Alice in Wonderland" musical by the off-Broadway Players Theatre brings to life the book's quirky characters Oct. 11 to Nov. 8.

The author of "Two Alice Statues in Central Park" will conduct walking tours of the park's statues Oct. 9.

And last but not least is "150 Years of Wonderland," offered through Oct. 12 at the Morgan. It features original drawings, rare editions, historic photos and other Alice artifacts from the museum's collection plus the original manuscript from The British Library, on view in New York for the first time in three decades.