Alice In Wonderland
When you think of Alice in Wonderland, one automatically thinks of a classic, childhood tale of fantasy and adventure. For their festive residency, Shakespeare North Playhouse is flipping this on its head- in more ways than one.
Penned by Nick Lane and directed by Nathan Powell, Alice (Helen Carter) is all grown up and shopping on Prescot High Street, when she spots a glimpse of a familiar, old friend – White Rabbit. What follows is another trip down the rabbit hole, which will leave you questioning: Is this innovative? Or is it contrived?
Narrating the piece are four playing cards who multirole throughout and each come into their own as their respective ‘main role’. Whilst the intention is there to create a whimsical experience for the audience, the scenes of the playing cards are slow, and the script is borderline insulting towards the audience’s intelligence. The children would easily get the gist of the narrative if it was well-versed.
The cast, however, have teacups full of enthusiasm and attempt to encourage the audience to participate. Kelise Gordon-Harrison is impressive in her acting and vocals and is a real scene-stealer (not many people can do a backflip whilst keeping their wig on as the Cheshire Cat!). Martha Godber brings villainesque energy to The Duchess, a much-needed contrast to the arbitrariness of the prior scenes. Likewise, Milton Lopes brings to the stage a hilarious characterisation of the Dodo which had the audience hooked. Finalising the cast, understudy Tia Larsen steps in as ‘Card Two’ and White Rabbit. They show consistency throughout- particularly with their French accent, and even when their echoing jokes overstay their welcome, they continue to push on through!
Carter, as usual, brings a presence to her turn as Alice with powerful vocals and slick comic timing in her rhetoric's. Unfortunately, the golden lines are so few and far between in the script that even she cannot motivate the audience.
Lighting design from KJ fills the space and does all it can to transport the audience to Wonderland. Bright and luminous throughout, it boosts Sascha Gilmour’s minimalist set design, though it could be taken to greater extremes to detract from the smaller set pieces being moved on and offstage. Granted, it is difficult in a space in the round, but it is possible- as proven in previous productions at this theatre- smoke and mirrors go a long way.
Sound design by Ernest Acquah makes use of the open space and allows for fun, echoing moments throughout. Often, though, it is lost due to a severe lack of amplification. Louder sound levels are crucial here to enhance the SFX and create the immersive experience that the production is aiming for. So often, jokes fall flat because of this and it’s a real shame. This is also true with Simon Slater’s catchy compositions; they make like a pancake due to the lack of gusto from the sound system.
At times, it’s a panto and then it’s a sequel to a famous fairy-tale, but ultimately, this production gets lost along the way. Regrettably, you’ll be glad to say, “It’s behind you!”
This show was reviewed on the 26th November 2024 at Shakespeare Playhouse North, Prescot where it runs until the 11th January 2025. Tickets available here: Alice in Wonderland | Shakespeare North Playhouse
Review written by Lee Gregory
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Photo credit: Patch Dolan
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