That is the power of the Cheshire Cat. Not the words he says, but the silence he leaves behind.
In the pantheon of literary characters, few are as simultaneously unsettling and beloved as the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland . While he is a master of dialogue—trading paradoxical barbs with the bewildered Alice—the concept of a is a fascinating anomaly. After all, this is a creature defined by disappearance . How does one deliver a monologue when the speaker is infamous for vanishing mid-sentence, leaving only a grin behind? Cheshire Cat Monologue
Since the Cat appears and disappears, the actor must use . That is the power of the Cheshire Cat
If you are preparing this piece for a specific project, please let me know: While he is a master of dialogue—trading paradoxical
: Voiced by Sterling Holloway, this version emphasized the whimsical, jazz-influenced chaos of the character, making the monologue accessible to millions of children.
The Cat’s eyes are his most dangerous weapon. During a monologue, do not look at the audience as a whole. Pick one person in the third row. Stare at them. Smile. Then slowly let your eyes drift, unfocused, to the back wall, as if looking through reality at the void behind the curtain.