Review: Alice In Wonderland, Marylebone Theatre

Aimed at children, this production of Alice in Wonderland, based on Lewis Carroll’s book, is making its London debut at an hour long with no interval. Knowing the plot, I was ‘curiouser and curiouser’ to see how the story would be condensed. Mostly, it is handled well with each scene covering the main point of Alice’s conversations with each character and often using sound design by Ella Wahlström and puppets by Chris Barlow and Nate Bertone to smooth out abrupt scene changes. However, with the limited time they have very little time to explore Alice’s life before falling down the rabbit hole. Without knowing the story beforehand, I felt the unusualness of Wonderland was overlooked, but there isn’t enough time to build a foundation of Alice’s real character. Let’s be honest, though, being in Wonderland is the best part of the story, so I understand ‘fast-tracking’ there for the children’s interest.  

The cast of eleven has a lot to do, managing multiple roles and a variety of puppeteering techniques. If they aren’t on stage giving it their all, I can only imagine them frantically changing into another character backstage. The puppetry is really eye-catching, and the cast does an excellent job keeping the puppets alive and helping you forget there is an actor there. Without the puppetry, Wonderland wouldn’t feel complete.

The Queen of Hearts, played by Daniel Page, is the star of the show. In the spirit of a Pantomime Dame, his exaggerated expressions and physical jokes got big laughs from adults and children alike. The whole show has a pantomime feel, breaking into pop songs spontaneously, making pop culture references and telling jokes aimed at the adults in the room. A Donald Trump joke is definitely one of the biggest laughs, but for me, you could give the politics a miss in a production aimed at 5 to 10-year-olds. 

Visually, this is a very strong production. Designed by Nate Bertone, the set is one big rabbit hole painted on flats with huge mushroom stools able to move around. The directing, also by Bertone, primarily uses props, puppets and physical theatre to fill the open stage. The costumes are amazing, big, bright, structural pieces that fill the stage when set pieces are sparse. Costume is used really well to make the iconic characters easily identifiable. On top of that, they do not shy away from wigs and makeup. This elevates the show to a spectacle that was clearly really enjoyed by all the children around me. 

The beautiful Marylebone theatre itself is worth mentioning. It is a small modern theatre perfect for a child’s first experience of theatre. Both my plus one and I commented on it being a lovely space. At a manageable, family-friendly hour in length, this extravaganza hits all the iconic scenes Alice in Wonderland is known for. A feast for the eyes, it produced audible gasps as well as laughs, which is as good a reason as any to go and see it.

Original book by: Lewis Carroll
Adapted by: Penny Farrow
Directed & Designed by: Nate Bertone
Lighting Designed by: Jack Weir
Sound Designed by: Ella Wahlström
Puppets Designed by: Chris Barlow & Nate Bertone

Alice In Wonderland plays at the Marylebone Theatre until Sunday 31st August