 In 1979 , Streep began <unk> Alice in Concert , a musical version of Alice 's Adventures in Wonderland , with writer and composer Elizabeth <unk> and director Joseph Papp ; the show was put on at New York 's Public Theater from December 1980 . Frank Rich of The New York Times referred to Streep as the " one wonder " of the production , but questioned why she had devoted so much energy to it . By 1980 , Streep had progressed to leading roles in films . She was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine with the headline " A Star for the 80s " , with Jack Kroll commenting , " There 's a sense of mystery in her acting ; she doesn 't simply imitate ( although she 's a great mimic in private ) . She transmits a sense of danger , a primal unease lying just below the surface of normal behavior " . Streep denounced the fervent media coverage of her at this time as " excessive hype " . 
