Theatre Review: A small review of Theatre Du Ville’s Alice

(ALL IMAGES VIA THEATRE DU VILLE, TAKEN BY Jean-Louis Fernandez) 

...Remember when I used to do theatre reviews for this blog? Its been a while.  

In January I managed to get to see the livestream of Theatre Du Ville’s Alice (both parts) in French. Although I have an extremely limited understanding of French (J'étudie le français en ce moment!) I enjoyed the plots of these two highly unique versions (a vague synopsis was thankfully available via downloadable programmes). The cast did a formidable job, some actors playing up to 5 characters per adaptation! As with all theatre du ville content, the staging was exceptional and at some points, gasp worthy. Not dissimilar to the production value of the UK’s National Theatre, which also enjoys a large budget for shows. 

A Unique Vision 

Made in 2013 and 2020 respectively by Frabice Meliquot (of Alice in China infamy) and Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, theatre du ville’s 2 adaptations feature a teenaged, 17 year old Alice (played in the revival I saw by Isis Ravel) dreaming her way into not just Wonderland and Looking Glass world but also accidentally bumping into other famous literature characters. 

In Wonderland, Alice is teased by a mermaid type figure whilst in the pool of tears, is annoyed and fascinated by Collodi’s Pinocchio, and discovers adolescence via dancing with the wolf from red riding hood. In part 2, whilst in Looking Glass World,  Alice becomes entangled in a bizarre who is dreaming what scenario. This involves herself, Zazie from Zazie in the metro, Dorothy from Beaum’s the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and a modern girl named Rose. 

The casual carrollian may wonder what the point of this is, but in cross referencing these works as well as using random blasts of British songs in certain scenes (case in point: Unicorn’s entrance in part 2 is soundtracked to David Bowie’s Space Oddity: yes really) Melquot and Mota seem to be making a statement about British culture of many eras surrounding the Alice books, and how the tales fit in with other world literature. Also, its a fun idea, and Carroll himself was always playful, so why shouldn’t adaptations be this way? Plus, these adaptations already adapt all of both books, so us purists are well catered for. 

Alice and her dreams of Wonders

Except for when Alice awakens at the end of each adaptation, Meliquot and Mota‘s adaptations are entirely cocooned in their protagonist's dream-worlds. In this adaptation, reality is not important and the circumstances of Alice’s dreams matter even less. There is however one major theme threaded among both parts, Alice’s maturing into adolescence and a hint of coming of age. This is thankfully done very subtly and does not overtake Carroll’s narratives or the cultural playfulness these adaptations use. Instead Alice’s growth and shrinking and encounters with the Cheshire cat, red riding hood wolf, white knight, and eventual coronation across both parts are seen here as metaphors for growing older. 

This theme, coupled with the dark-playful tone of these adaptations, reminded me greatly of a toned down Valerie and her Week of Wonders. There is even a scene where the Cheshire cat, during the famous “we’re all mad here” conversation, enfolds Alice with a coat, directly reminding me of a scene from the film version of Valerie.  (Picture comparison below)

Tone and acting styles

I very much respect these adaptation's ideas to not go cutesy either, Sarah Karabasnikoff‘s Duchess, Jauris Casanova‘s wolf and Karabasnikoff‘s sheep are acted as bizarre, funny and vaguely threatening characters. The Queen of Hearts enters to the song another brick in the wall part 2 by Pink Floyd, here re-framing the character as a sort of harsh headmistress type. But the fun is very much still there (with the queen of hearts entrance, the entire cast break out in dancing) 

There were many standouts in terms of acting. Isis Ravel’s Alice positively embodied Carroll’s title character and gleefully ambled through wonders and horrors in a believable way. The Cheshire Cat wore a vast coat and was characterized by actor Gérald Mailet as being ambiguous as his grin. The Duchess’s baby was here seen as a fully grown man crawling around, Walter N’guyen putting in an amazingly horrifying and wonderful performance. The Red Queen, wonderfully snappish as played by Sandra Faure, carried a chess board in her hand constantly. The whole cast give their all and overall it works wonderfully. 

Philosophy

In these adaptations there are also several points of philosophical musing, particularly in the looking glass adaptation. In her room, modern girl Rose goes through her mirror and meets up with Alice, as well as Zazie, and Dorothy, each bewildered to learn that the other exists. The question of who dreamed what in Looking Glass is in the book (there it was either Alice or the Red King) but by adding more players to this conundrum, Melliquot and Mota re ask the question as something more slippery and far odder. When Alice realizes that the dreamer is her at the end of Looking Glass, there is a real sense of despair in her eyes. Another point of this style of musing comes in Wonderland, where the Cheshire Cat sings and we see a video projection of Alice traversing the world itself. Similarly in the introduction to Wonderland, Alice speaks of Alice Liddell. 

Mise en scene and direction

Other things that struck me were how stylish the mise en scene staging looked. Extremely well done video projections, occasional wild lighting, and stylish non typical costumes were exhibited in these productions. In particular Alice’s costumes, a yellow and white daisy dress in Wonderland and a sparkly purple party dress in Looking Glass, had a sense of style and modernity. 

Perhaps the best way to sum up these beautiful adaptations would be from the programmes that were available to download before the streams. In a note, Theatre Du Ville states that Alice as a character is an  “unlimited traveller and adventurer, “ and in these adaptations, there is definitely a sense of an endless story. Multiple Alices forever with curiosity, bounding through wondrous dream-worlds. 

Now if only we could find somebody to provide sous-titres en anglais for this!

ARCHIVE POST: A Script Review of.. Glyn Maxwell’s Alice in Wonderland

(Rabecca Birch as Alice in the World Premiere 2017 cast at Chester’s StoryHouse Theatre. Photo: Mark Carline)

This mash up of parts of both Alice tales was commissioned by the new multi million pound theatre in Chester, UK. Staged  in 2017, it opened to extremely enthusiastic reviews, meeting with the same acclaim that Glyn Maxwell’s other adaptations of classic literature have also gained. 



That being said, this isn’t the most easiest adaptation in the world to review. Because on first time reading, I did not have a clue what to make of it. To be clear, Maxwell’s adaptations all fall somewhere between adaptation and re-imagining, and this is no exception. 

Maxwell’s overarching subplot of this version is that frightened of going to boarding school, Victorian Alicia splits herself into 2. Alice goes off to boarding school (which of course also turns out to be Wonderland) whilst Alicia stays in the real world, and grows ill. Very, very ill.



Act 1 has Alice stumbling round a Wonderland as boarding school setting, with everyone being immensely unhelpful. She ends the act so confused she turns into the Red Queen (by that, I mean the Queen of Hearts). But I couldn’t help noticing that in adaptation terms this was very, very fast paced and short. 



That’s because in act 2 bed-ridden Alicia tries to search for Alice via her illness induced fever dreams (yes, really!) and encounters more Wonderland/Looking-Glass residents. Particularly funny are the intensely Scottish Unicorn (of Through the Looking-Glass) and the Cheshire Cat, who fades away before he can offer Alicia any good advice. There’s also the fantastic addition of Alicia pointing out to everyone she comes across that they aren’t real. 

On finding Alice, Alicia finds her raving and braying for beheadings. Turns out, she’s playing at being the Red Queen (The Queen of Hearts) because she’s lonely and everyone she’s met in Wonderland seems to despise her. Alicia convinces her to drop the act before they both face off against Alice’s greatest fear- The Jabberwock. 



If me describing this version made no sense, reading the actual script multiplies that feeling. Maxwell seems to put parts of both Alice tales into a food blender, making his adaptation feel almost entirely like the 113 degree fever that Alicia is suffering from. 

In a way, its curious that no one has ever adapted carroll’s tales as fever dreams before- because that concept works very very well in this version. Almost too well…



I also love the idea of having 2 split Alices. One in the real world, one in Wonderland. In a way, you can feel the influence of Moira Buffini’s National Theatre flop Wonder.land on this version (compare Aly and avatar Alice’s friendship with Alicia and Alice’s. Its very similar!) which is no bad thing! 

I honestly hope this gets more productions in the future. It was fascinating. 

ARCHIVE POST: A Review of: Gerald Barry’s Alice Opera (2016)

CAN BE HEARD: HERE (LIBRETTO HERE, YOU WILL NEED IT) 

This 2016 opera by Gerald Barry covers the majority of both Alice books (when I say majority I mean most of the major Wonderland scenes.. then the entirety of Looking-Glass from live flowers onwards) 

The title is Alice’s adventures Underground and its a total misnomer. Not only has it got nothing to do with Carroll’s manuscript original, as I’ve explained above it also adapts the majority of both novels. 

Its incredibly fast paced and as a result, hectic, surreal and very dreamlike. Unlike other versions there appears to be no transitions between scenes. So every scene starts and ends incredibly abruptly.

I like this approach a lot.

Barbra Hannigan plays the role of Alice and is actually really convincing as a seven and a half year old. The characterisation of Alice in this version is adorable, the bizarre singing style that Barry’s singers have to push themselves to really shows. Alice sounds squeaky and in spoken parts, earnestly curious. 

All the other characters of both books are split between 6 singers, Hilary Summers,  Allison Cook, Allan Clayton, Peter Tantsits, Mark Stone and Joshua Bloom. All match up to the enormously complex task admirably. 

The libretto is also a lot of fun, although at times its hard to hear what’s being sung. I’m very glad a typed out Libretto was available. It makes it easier to understand when you can follow along! 

The croquet match is a crazy cacophony of singers singing various scales and things in different languages to match Alice’s confusion over the game. The lobster Quadrille is sung by the entire group of singers in a distorted round. Jabberwocky is recited multiple times in different languages. Overall everything is incredibly inventive and quite possibly not like any opera you’ve ever heard before. 

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF: Adrian Mitchell’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass PART 2

NOTE: This review uses photos from Photostage and Zuleika Henry, complete with watermarks. Please note that I cannot remove the watermarks as these are private property, and the photos belong to the owners. No copywrite infringement is intended.

(EDIT: As of 2025, I can say, I've read other play adaptations of Alice and this is by FAR the best one. Hands down, nothing comes close. I'm not sure why I didn't love this 100 percent on first read or watch. You can take that 4 star I gave this up to a 5 now. No, it REALLY is that good. Here's the licencing link worldwide. Yes, you CAN perform this in any theatre environment you want!)

With many thanks to @silvesterbotticelli.

A SMALL INTRODUCTORY NOTE

This review is of a non-commercial recording of the 2001 cast which is held in a private collection.The Original cast has its own successes and failings, and there are many differences between this production and that which is described in the published script. I will address the issues of the published script in the review, and I will also judge this production on its own merits.

CHILD OF THE PURE UNCLOUDED BROW, WITH DREAMING EYES OF WONDER…

The prologue to act 2 opens in the same space the epilogue to act 1 left us in, Alice’s drawing-room. Lorina attempts to teach 6 year old Edith chess, but both get into an argument and Edith walks off. Alice is not interested in the game as she never seems to win and is more focused on talking with Kitty, the black kitten. Infuriated Lorina soon leaves, Afred Lord Tennyson book in hand. 

LOOKING GLASS WORLD

As the room goes dark, and Alice grows tired, she is drawn to the looking-Glass whilst the Company sing of magic. “Moonlight on the Mirror” is one of the best songs in the entire play, with Terry Davies and Steven Warbeck’s arrangements conveying a sense of wonderfulness. I actually can’t imagine what this song would sound like minus this arrangement…

Alice climbs through to Looking-Glass House which in this production is just a gigantic mirror on a mantelpiece. The chess piece scene rolls round quickly and Jabberwocky for some bizarre reason is recited by father William and Son. Who aren’t in this book. Which leads me to question why Mitchell as an adaptor made this choice. The garden of live flowers is also disappointing as it consists of one flower, Tiger-Lily. Why the others couldn’t be included is a mystery. 

Much better is the Red Queen, played by Liza Sadovy, who truly is the essence of all governesses! The running scene is done incredibly well and I cannot work out how it was done. Treadmill maybe?? Left alone Alice endures a strange train ride.. which ends too quickly. Paul Lenard, Mark McLean and Mitchell Morero all make fine train passengers and the scene is delightfully frantic, only to stop suddenly as in this version Alice reaches the end of the line and has to walk the rest of the way. The Gnat is also absent, as are the Looking-Glass insects.

Dum and Dee are however wonderfully obnoxious and are played with gusto by Jamie Golding and Adam Sims. Also this scene features one of the best theatrical versions of “The Walrus and the Carpenter” I’ve ever seen. It even incorporates Carroll’s rewritten lyrics for the first Alice stage adaptation! Think of the way it was portrayed in 1999 and you aren’t far off! 

Marilyn Cutts makes for an excellently eccentric White Queen, and a weird sheep. The published script puts the Cheshire Cat in the shop scene (I know. Why??) but this production thankfully removes this! 

I did not care much for Martyn Ellis’s Humpty Dumpty, he seemed to be using the same technique the Gryphon used in the Wonderland adaptation- screaming out the lines as loud as he could! The orchestration of “In Winter When the Fields are White.. “ is also an utter disappointment. You often can’t hear the lines! 

The White King was very unmemorable as played by John Condroy. I’m actually struggling to remember his performance as I write this… 

The Lion and the Unicorn was a fantastic great big set piece, with the Company cheering for either side. It is set up like a sort of boxing match, and Mark McLean's Lion has more than a hint of a certain London boxer in his characterisation. If it is what the director was going for, its a little bit odd as it has no relation to the Victorian era. The Unicorn is extremely Scottish, with a very thick accent. The Company song “The Lion and the Unicorn” is an ensemble piece, with all including Alice joining in. Its a fun but too short number.

Things take a more delicate and melancholic tone after the White Knight (played by the same actor who played Dodgson) rescues Alice from the Red Knight (bizarrely this production has him played by the same actor who played Duckworth) Although there are plenty of laughs in this scene, Daniel Flynn’s White Knight plays up the melancholy. This reaches its peak in a beautiful and funny take on “A sitting On A Gate”. One of the few times this show takes a more specious pause for breath.

“Welcome Queen Alice” is sung in a wonderful arrangement by the Company as the White Rabbit (yes, I know) gives Alice her chess crown. In this version there is no proper feast to speak of (the food scene doesn't occur) instead Alice climbs up a gigantic chess piece chair to sit alongside the Red and White Queens. The official Queen examination scene is delightfully funny but feels too rushed. That’s because the White Queen announces “Something is going to happen!” and it does. The Jabberwock descends on to the crowd, scattering everyone. As soon as everyone vanishes, Alice sees the looking glass and passes through. 

Awakening at home on the hearthrug in the drawing-room with the Black Kitten and Snowdrop in her hands, Alice ponders the meaning of her dream. Was it hers or the Red King’s?

If I were to be brutally honest, I much prefer Carroll’s feast scene to this. It doesn’t really work as a denouement, I also feel like there was no threat to the Jabberwock because as an audience we barely see it (this production only shows its red eyes!) As a result, Alice’s awakening does not feel significant or pronounced the way it is in the book. It just.. kind of happens. I will give this version immense credit for actually showing us Alice pondering the Red King dream question at the end. Many versions leave this out. 

A BOAT BENEATH A SUNNY SKY…

Back on the riverbank Dodgson finishes his tales (yes this version implies he told both stories in one day. Poetic licence!) Dodgson, the Liddells and Duckworth row home, but Alice Liddell feels affected by what she has heard. Before they row off, she asks Mr Dodgson to “write down Alice’s adventures”. 

As they row off singing a reprise of “All in the Golden Afternoon…”, fictional Alice stands onstage and seems to hear echoes from her adventures in Wonderland and Looking-Glass World. The lights begin to fade, until all we can see is her.

CONCLUSION

Overall I found this 2001 recording 100 times better than the published script. I give this particular staging a 4 out of 5, with an added note to be cautious with the published script, as it leaves plenty to be desired. 

No doubt the best thing about this adaptation was Katherine Heath’s performances as Alice Liddell and “Alice”. Heath made an eager Alice Liddell and an intelligent, quiet and polite “Alice”. This production also has stellar set design and a formidable cast, some playing up to 4 parts! 

Although some of the scenes are rushed, it flows much better than the published script and this recording has my highest recommendation if you wish to see a dramatisation of both books in full! 

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF: Adrian Mitchell’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass PART 1

NOTE: This review uses photos from Photostage, clarevidalhall and Geraint Lewis, complete with watermarks. Please note that I cannot remove the watermarks as these are private property, and the photos belong to the owners. No copywrite infringement is intended. 

(EDIT: As of 2025, I can say, I've read other play adaptations of Alice and this is by FAR the best one. Hands down, nothing comes close. I'm not sure why I didn't love this 100 percent on first read or watch. You can take that 4 star I gave this up to a 5 now. No, it REALLY is that good. Here's the licencing link worldwide. Yes, you CAN perform this in any theatre environment you want!)

With many thanks to @silvesterbotticelli. 

A SMALL INTRODUCTORY NOTE

This review is of a non-commercial recording of the 2001 cast which is held in a private collection.The Original cast has its own successes and failings, and there are many differences between this production and that which is described in the published script. I will address the ending issue of the published script in the review, and I will also judge this production on its own merits.

BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING…

 Adrian Mitchell’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass had its World Premiere on the 29th of November 2001 at the Barbican Theatre in London. The recording that my review takes from was recorded on the 25th of February 2002, far ahead in to the show’s run. 

Mitchell’s show was much derided at the time but has since grown a healthy afterlife in amateur and community productions. Upon seeing this recording, the show’s original critical response is baffling to me. No, the show is NOT perfect by any means, but two stars? Really? 

The show begins with Dodgson, Duckworth, and the Liddells that fateful golden afternoon in Oxford. The girls clamour for a story, and Dodgson and co find shade under a tree. As he begins spinning his tale, the company freeze in time as Alice Liddell stands up and becomes fictional “Alice”. On seeing the white rabbit, she does what we know she will. 

Unlike the published script, the act of Alice Liddell transforming into “Alice” is here better indicated, whereas in the published text it was only implied, here it is actively shown. 

WONDERLAND

Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole is portrayed as a fall through a large hole which the audience look through, with wires attached to the actress. Quite an effective trick (you have to remember this was in a time pre video projections) especially with all the furniture and such spinning around with her.  As I had read the published script I was dreading the 1st “new song” written for this version, which is “down, down, down”. Whilst on paper it sounds dreadful, in this production the tune and Company singing are beautiful, meaning it more than works (whether it would in other productions, minus this musical arrangement is another thing) 

The hall of doors is sped through, with hardly anything from Alice’s identity crisis of the book remaining. The functions of drink me and eat me are also reversed for reasons unknown. Better is “How Doth the Little Crocodile” complete with adorable crocodile puppet. Awwww!

The mouse scene and caucus race are also handled very well, with the actors playing Dodgson, Duckworth, and other Liddell sisters returning to play their Wonderland counterparts. Unlike the book, Alice doesn’t insult the mouse through misunderstandings of the words “tale” and “tail”, she just yawns and the Mouse takes it as a slight on his honour! Moves the action on faster I guess?

The White Rabbit’s House scene isn't included in this version, which I can only guess due to being potentially too tricky to stage. The Caterpillar scene is a strong highlight with John Conroy’s delightfully impertinent Caterpillar sparring against Katherine Heath’s confused, quiet and well mannered Alice. Another highlight is “You are Old Father William” which is sung by a 2 man vaudeville act (they bustle in just before Alice recites it, convinced she’s stealing their act!) although I would note the instrumentation seems to fast in the chorus, rendering the punchlines hard to hear. 

The Duchess’s kitchen scene felt too fast paced. I understand the scene is meant to be chaotic, but as its a not very popular part of the book, I felt some of the actors (particularly Fiona Dunn’s cook) were reciting lines as quickly as possible. The effect of the Cheshire cat in the oak tree was honestly not impressive. They just had the actress (Sarah Redmond) in a box in the tree looking down and occasionally grinning. However this is because of the theatrical constraints of the time and as such, I can’t really complain. Redmond’s Cheshire cat was fair but not overly memorable.

 

This is followed by possibly the best scene in the Wonderland adaptation. The Mad tea Party. Martin Turner’s March Hare and Chris Larner’s Hatter play off each other brilliantly, whilst Marilyn Cutts makes for a cutely confused dormouse. The overall impression of this tea party is one of deep hostility. The March Hare and Hatter keep looming over the table at Alice in a slightly sinister way, and Katherine Heath’s Alice keeps moving uncomfortably in her chair, slightly unnerved perhaps. When she says “I’ll never go there again…” you can sense she really means it. 

The Queen’s garden and croquet scenes are played out as a great opportunity to feature everyone we’ve met already, as such these are monstrously large ensemble scenes, complete with puppet flamingos and the like. The Queen of Hearts is played by Liza Stadovy, who can’t seem to choose between Flora Robinson's 1972 depiction or Miranda Richardson’s 1999 depiction, so in the end opts for both at the same time. Its an odd mix…

This is unfortunately followed by the worst scene in the Wonderland adaptation, which is the Mock Turtle and Gryphon. I do not understand the actor’s decisions with these characters at all. Martyn Elis’s Gryphon shouts every line, whilst Paul Lenard’s Mock Turtle states everything in a dull voice. This is one scene which would be infinitely better in another production! Katherine Heath tries her best, but even she cannot save this dull, dull scene. Even worse is the Lobster Quadrille, which Terry Davies and Steven Warbeck decided to arrange as a flamenco dance. Why? I also don’t like the idea of Alice joining in the chorus of a song she’s not meant to know. Who decided that?

With that thankfully over the adaptation gets back on course in a spectacular trial scene featuring the entire cast. The whole ensemble gets to shine here, particularly John Hodgkinson’s King of Hearts, who is wonderfully weak, assertive and confused alternately! Halfway through instead of growing bigger for no reason Alice eats a tart which makes her grow and turns the whole court into shaky puppets. Liza Stadovy has a lot of fun with her now squeaky Queen of Hearts voice. Just like in the book, the cards shower Alice, who fitfully tries to beat them off. Still not worked out how this effect was achieved… 

Alice awakens in an armchair in her drawing room, with both of her sisters looking worried (she’s just knocked over a house of cards from the table beside her in her sleep) however as the snow begins to tumble down, they suddenly don’t want to hear about Alice’s curious dream. Snow is more exciting apparently… 

In the published script, Alice staggers into the scene, vaguely knocks over the card table and somehow becomes aware to the reality of things. In the published script, the audience is only told Wonderland was a dream in one line! 

This production’s idea of actually seeing Alice awaken helps clear up any confusion.

ARCHIVE POST: A stage review: Quantum Theatre’s Alice through the Looking-Glass

ARCHIVE NOTE: This review was for the 2017 cast. Originally reviewed in August 2017.

UK based Carrollians…. if it tours near you, please go and see this….

After a long absence I finally got to see this version again for the first time since its 2009 premiere! Has it changed for the better? In short- yes. And then some.

Indoor or outdoor, professional (or in this case) semi-professional, a good adaptation of Looking-Glass should make you feel like the first time you read the book. And with that Quantum completely succeeds. Its remarkable how this 3 piece company manage to convey everything (and I mean everything, no scene is left out!) from Carroll’s novel. This version feels very handmade in terms of staging, with one wooden rectangle doubling up as a mirror, a train carriage, a table, a door, even a boat. 3 actors and limited instruments also add to the chamber feel of this adaptation. Indeed, the music motif which runs throughout the play (which is “to the looking-Glass world…”) and many of the poems recited and sung are accompanied with flutes and the occasional drum, making everything feel very quaint.

In terms of changes from the 2009 production, puppets of the Red King, Red Queen, White Queen and the looking-Glass insects are now added, making the adaptation feel even more endearing. Awww! 

 But the real driving force of this version comes from the actors. 2 of them play all of the residents of Looking-Glass World between them. Changing between characters with their voices and quick costume changes. An actor will become the sheep or a gnat or the White Knight by putting on a head mask or throwing on a chess crown or ears. In the banquet scene, the actor playing the White Queen also voices the mutton, pudding, and a waiter! All by incorporating lightening fast costume changes into the action to make the audience laugh even more (since Carroll’s source text, unchanged here, is very very witty) 

A particular standout is the Gnat, who is not like the Gnat in the 1985 Irwin Allen TV series, or the 1998 Channel 4 adaptation. In those adaptations the Gnat was calm, sitting on a rock or tree. Not so here! Here he buzzes round the stage quite literally, never taking a second to sit down. I can’t help but wonder how the actor managed it. As someone who was used to other adaptations I found this interpretation rather funny. Going from a character who barely walks around to one who can’t stay still for more than a second! 

Dum and Dee were enjoyably obnoxious as ever and acted to perfection. This adaptation was particularly sly adapting the Red King scene. In this version you really got the sense that Dum and Dee were absolutely mocking Alice regarding the Red King dream theory. 

Essentially- the actors nailed the characters. All of them. 

The garden of live flowers perhaps could of done with more company members, as could the train sequence and the end banquet, all of these scenes are well handled, but you miss the company pieces they are meant to be somewhat… the end banquet looses some of its chaos a little because of this, but the actors had an interesting solution, instead of Alice destroying the banquet table by pulling the tablecloth, she is carried by the actors into the air whilst the Red and White Queens seem to drift in some kind of sea. Its a strange moment, but one that fits. Interestingly the armchair that Alice falls asleep in doesn’t exist in this version, so she awakes curled up next to a table on which Kitty perches. 

A sitting on a Gate and all of the poems are handled with great care and humour. In particular a sitting on a gate gets very funny, with the White Knight reciting the last verse a cappella as the musicians have gotten bored of the poem going on… and on… and on… As someone who is more used to Ian Holm’s nostalgic and somber take on the poem in the 1998 film, it was interesting to see a comedic interpretation. 

The main plaudits of this version and this particular cast really have to go to Hannah Allen, who played Alice. A newcomer to this particular role, Allen presented us with a book accurate eccentric Alice, but with a hint of feisty-ness thrown in for good measure. In the 2009 cast, Miranda Rozkowaski’s Alice had an air of cautiousness and confusion.  It seems unfair to compare the two interpretations as they both offer excellent takes on the same character.

Although confused by the world she had found herself in, Allen’s Alice seemed far more concerned with exploring every wonder she came across. Alice here was also more eccentric. After the Red and White Queens disappear after falling asleep, Alice twirls around singing “hushaby lady…” to herself, spinning around in pure joy. If anything captures that character’s essence, its that small scene. Lovely. 

There is so much more. I can’t fit it all in. 

If its revived (even with a different cast) and you're in the UK, please see it!