Alice in Wonderland | Riverside Studios

Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland is a beloved classic, inspiring hundreds of adaptations across many mediums and is firmly cemented as one of the most popular pieces in children's media. Penny Farrow's latest adaptation transforms this imaginative tale into a successful children's show, with the characters bouncing off the page and onto stage. Directed and designed by Nate Bertone, this production creates a colourful and creative new wonderland.

Farrow's writing condenses Carroll's original story into a fast paced hour-long show, whilst still keeping all the moments and characters that the audience know and love. Prioritising the conversations between Alice and the many characters she meets on the way, Farrow is able to efficiently communicate the quirky personalities of all the characters. Written primarily from Alice's point of view, audiences are able to get to know Alice more closely than before, making her all the more innocent and relatable.

Bertone's set design creates a gloriously detailed space that feels perfect for the tale. Filled with references from the book, including key holes, playing cards, books, teapots, pocket watches and more, the set is a gasp-worthy introduction to the production. Aided by Jack Weir's lighting design, the set glows, really making the production feel all the more impressive. Weir's lighting also adds to the theatricality of the piece throughout, but especially during Alice's transformation and the red lights around the Queen of Hearts. The puppetry, designed by Bertone and Chris Barlow, jump out of the set with a whimsical creativity that feels right at home in wonderland. Even for brief character moments, these puppets have been well designed making each of them memorable.

The costumes are excellent; capturing the spirit of the characters well. Alice is given her trademark blue dress, yet there are still a few alterations hidden about to the audiences delight. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, in particular, are given bright matching suits with their names helpfully printed on, but it's the Queen of Heart's costume that takes the crown.

Sam Rapley's compositions are used well and really add to the magical elements of the show. Ella Wahlström's sound design helps create a sense of nature that wafts throughout the play. Eva Sampson has choreographed the piece to ensure it never feels static. The characters bounce across the stage and interact well with the set.

Whilst the production has been well designed, with individual elements all particularly strong, the show as a whole falters to impress its harshest and most important critics; the young audience. Although there were moments of laughter and applause throughout the show, the vast majority of the show was met with an awkward silence, especially during built in applause pauses, with several children visibly unsure of how to process jokes or scenes. The show, try as it might, somehow fails to really capture the whimsical magic of the book onstage, perhaps through the more mature characterisations.

The cast do a tremendous job, especially with early morning shows and an unpredictable and unforgiving young audience, and really do give it their all. However, when the two most iconic characters, the Hatter and The Cheshire Cat, are less mad and witty than usual, the adaptations tends to suffer from an adult perspective on a child's world. This is perhaps further weighed down by a considerable sidelining of these two characters to prioritise other moments in the show. In all fairness, the adventures are all so precious that it could never be easy to compress or skip any moments, yet the show does suffer from the distillation of these two characters in particular.

Comparatively the Queen of Hearts, a saving grace in the production, takes up a considerable amount of the show, reminding creatives to trust the original source material. The Queen of Hearts takes on the role of a pantomime dame, insulting the young Alice with an infectious charisma and hurling out hilarious one liners after the other.

This is not a reflection on the cast's performance in anyway. Tom Giles is amusing and scene stealing as the Hare, transforming the otherwise oddly subdued tea party into one full of zest. Sean Garrett makes a strong emotional impact as the Caterpillar, making his transformation into the Butterfly one of the show's stand out moments. Honey Gabriel as the Hatter delivers a fresh perspective on the character, with an intelligent curiosity and a more grounded call to embrace one's imagination. Claire Brice brings her incredible flexibility and enthusiasm to the White Rabbit.

Skye Hallam and Sophie Wilkinson as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum respectively are a winning duo, well matched to one other's chaos. A real dream team, the two sibling's antics and overly dramatic reactions are a riot unto themselves. Lucinda Davidson, puppeteer to a wonderful puppet with multicoloured fur, a detachable head and manic grin, delivers an impressive performance filled with royalty and mischief. Despite the limited stage time, Davidson ensures that the Cheshire Cat is still one of the show's most unforgettable characters. Daniel Page as the Queen of Hearts goes all out, unleashing a performance that fits right in with the Christmas spirit of Pantomime. A self proclaimed Queen and Diva, Page is a force to watch on stage, dialing up his performance to the delighted giggles of the young audience.

Ailsa Erskine as Alice is magical casting. Erskine is perfectly suited for the role, with a brilliant performance as she embodies the beloved character with a fresh new innocence. Erskine allows Alice to become the real heroine of the tale, as she undergoes an adventure that challenges and changes her with each new interaction, led by a childish determination and open mouthed wonder. Erskine beautifully captures the spirit of a plucky 7-year-old, making her Alice adorable on all accounts, with a real sense of pride and confidence; reinventing the character as her own person as well as being receptive to her surroundings. Erskine's performance smoothens many of the show's bumps, making it all the worthwhile to watch Alice's journey; rendering Erskine an exciting young talent to watch in her future career.

Alice in Wonderland is a delightful show that will entertain younger audiences, with a wonderful production design that is filled with vibrant colours and detailed characters. As the days of books begin to fade away with the growing rise of screens, the production hones in on the importance of imagination, creativity, freedom and magic, making it a rather special production. Whilst it's a step away from what one may expect from a direct adaptation of Carroll's novel, it is still a great way to introduce a new wave of young theatre goers.

Alice in Wonderland is currently playing at the Riverside Studios until 2nd August and at the Soho Theatre (Walthamstow) between 5th-16th August. 

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Steve Gregson