Alice In Wonderland – REVIEW
Image: ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Sydney Coliseum, January 2024. Photo: Robert Catto
This timeless children’s story by Lewis Carroll has been adapted for the stage by Penny Farrow in a beautifully presented one-act wonder.
The first thing the audience is presented with is the gorgeous and inventive set design by Nate Bertone. With vibrant colours and multi-layered dimensions, it immediately evokes the fantastical world of Wonderland. The costumes are also stunning; beautifully designed and made, they are faithful to traditional expectations while playfully embracing humorous modern touches.
Effective lighting, clever props and intuitive choreography make up for modest production elements. What really makes the show work, however, is the superb cast. Éowyn Turner is spritely as Alice, though alas, with a running time of just on an hour, she doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to develop the character.
Lucy Fox (White Rabbit), Simon Burvell-Holmes (Queen Of Hearts & Cheshire Cat), Catherine Glavicic (Mad Hatter), Anthony Craig (Caterpillar & Dormouse), Elliot Baker (March Hare), Justine Anderson (Tweedle Dum) and Matilda Simmons (Tweedle Dee) all fully embody their respective characters and work splendidly together as an ensemble.
Supporting this cast is a second ensemble of puppet characters, gorgeously made and expertly controlled by the actors.
Farrow’s adaptation borrows freely from several of Lewis Carroll’s works including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, The Hunting of the Snark and Rhyme? And Reason? This is admirable in its integrity but, because of Carroll’s sophisticated and intellectual use of language and cryptic, Victorian humour the dialogue does tend to be taxing on the brain and may be inaccessible for very young patrons.
However, overall, this is a lovely theatrical outing for the whole family.
