Writer: Lewis Carroll
Director: Christopher Brookes
The tales of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland have been told around the world since 1862 and the story written by Lewis Carroll continues to be a firm family favourite to this day.
Wise Owl Theatre Company’s new adaptation combines acting, puppetry and music to bring this 70 minute production, with additional interval to the stage. The story follows the original story exactly, following Alice, Jessie Underhill, into her dreamworld. We meet the familiar characters of the White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, amongst others as we go.
This show is designed beautifully. The set by Kevin Jenkins is the perfect feat for a small-scale tour. It is simple, adaptable and functional, working well to transport the audience from Alice’s loft, down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, on to the Queen’s garden and back home again.
The puppets, designed by Liz Johnson are fabulous. The Cheshire Cat is a particular favourite, being in 4 parts allows him to both fill the stage and be cleverly manipulated to tell the story visually. The actors are skilled in handling the puppets, they work well together to ensure each part of the bigger puppet is working in harmony. Chloe Thorpe is outstanding in her roles as both the caterpillar and the mouse. As well as expertly manipulating the puppets, her interesting, funny and eccentric characterisations are a joy to watch.
There are a handful of simple but memorable songs written by David Gilbrook interweaved throughout the performance.
The first half takes a while to get going, we watch Alice playing alone in the loft, it feels slow, contrived and missing the energy needed to draw in the audience of small children. Things begin to get a little more exciting once we meet the caterpillar and it starts to warm up. The second half is much more enjoyable than the first. The Mad Hatter’s tea party is genuinely funny, showcasing the chemistry between actors Adrian Palmer as the March Hare and David Martin as The Mad Hatter. Their chemistry continues when they later play Dee and Dum, and again, they are funny and engaging. There is some audience participation from Dee and Dum but it feels too little, too late.
While there are a number of lovely elements and clearly skilled designers and performers in this show, it lacks lustre, feels unnecessarily long and is missing the much needed fluency and energy to keep little people engaged and entertained.
An interesting watch for the puppets and puppetry alone.
Runs until 29th October 2023.
The Reviews Hub Score
Some lovely elements
