OFS Studio Theatre,

Tuesday 8th – Saturday 12th December, 7.30pm, Saturday 12th December, 2.30pm

“What do you get when you cross a manic 1930s circus troupe with the fractured psyche of a young girl struggling to cope with growing up? Well, amongst other things, you get hyperactive tea parties, a smoking caterpillar with umbrellas for legs, and three delightfully grinning Cheshire cats.” Robert Holtom ★★★★★

Alice’s Adventures Underground ★★★★★

Review by Robert Holtom

What do you get when you cross a manic 1930s circus troupe with the fractured psyche of a young girl struggling to cope with growing up? Well, amongst other things, you get hyperactive tea parties, a smoking caterpillar with umbrellas for legs, and three delightfully grinning Cheshire cats. There were indeed many interesting aspects to this ambitious production and when they came together the audience could truly immerse themselves in Alice’s reworked Wonderland. However, more often than not, the plot got a little too chaotic and we, like Alice, were left lost and bewildered.

Instead of having Alice fall down a rabbit hole the directors rather cleverly decided to have her fall inside her own mind. Thus, once inside, Alice can confront her confused self, embodied by a vast array of characters vying for attention. These included a hyperactive but overly sensitive White Rabbit, a tyrannical but highly comedic Red Queen, and an appropriately scatty Mad Hatter. As a premise, this was a brilliant idea, but sadly its impact was lessened by having the cast dress up as if they were in a circus. This seemed like a needless embellishment that rendered the famous characters of the novel less familiar and all too similar in appearance. Thus, there seemed to be a dichotomy of ideas inherent throughout the production. For example, the use of torn umbrellas for the caterpillar’s legs was particularly effective and ingenious but why he also had to be a ringmaster was less clear.

Nevertheless, despite these creative problems the cast did a brilliant job at inhabiting the stage space and bringing to life the energetic wirrings and girrings of Alice’s mind. All the areas of the theatre were used well, including the various balconies and the auditorium, ensuring that the audience felt that they too were a part of Wonderland. Particular mention should go to Harry Forward who ensured the Mad Hatter was as potty as is required and to the three actors (Daniella Ashdown, Ella Graham, Katherine Leithead) who all simultaneously played the Cheshire Cat with charm and cunning. Having each of them hold up a big cardboard smile was also a nice touch, ensuring the smile could remain whilst the cat vanished. Unfortunately though there were many line slips and interruptions which at times spoilt some of the wordplay that was so integral to the Lewis Carroll novel, although perhaps this was down to first night nerves and will be improved upon as the run continues.

I think the main problem for this production was that, much like in Alice’s head, there really was too much going on. We really could have had a genuinely interesting take on a young girl trying to establish her more grown up identity but, instead, we were left not really understanding how she had managed to grow up in and amongst her fantastical adventures. A theme that also could have been developed was that of escape, as Alice escapes the stress and strife of her everyday life to retreat into a childish fantasy land. However, this was only really addressed at the very beginning and end of the production. This play does not quite live up to the ringmaster’s promise of “the greatest show on earth” but it does prove entertaining and interesting to see many different ideas visualised and physicalised on stage.