ALICE IN WONDER REVIEW

Alice in Wonder – Written & Directed by Melanie Clarke

The Alice in Wonder production by Innov8 Youth Theatre is loosely based on the original story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – but it has been given a modern twist. Alice is desperately unhappy following her parent’s divorce. Unable to deal with her feelings she continually lashes out verbally at her mother and her younger sister; in fact she is generally disagreeable to everyone she encounters. However, things change after she opens a mysterious book that she finds in the attic of her new house…..

The beauty of this production is that despite the simplicity of the staging (very few props are used) you still feel that you have been transported – along with Alice – into another world. In part, this is because almost everyone knows the story of Alice in Wonderland - which means the audience, is able to use their previous knowledge to imagine what isn’t there. However, the main reason that the audience accepts that they are in Alice’s fantasy world is due to the convincing and spirited portrayal of the characters in the story by the talented young actresses of Innov8 Youth Theatre.

The whole play is thoroughly enjoyable. Many of the audience will agree that one of the best parts of the play was the Thriller dance sequence (based on the well known Michael Jackson song) which was quirky, amusing and slightly disturbing -just like the original Thriller video!

 There is much debate over whether Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has a deeper meaning or if it is simply a curiously engaging load of twaddle. In fact, there are several documented interviews in which Lewis Carroll has been asked to explain the meaning of some of his writing and has replied either ‘I don’t know’ or used words to that effect.

It is no surprise therefore, that in a play that is based upon the writing of Lewis Carroll the audience may find that just like the original story some parts of the play are purposefully nonsensical.  Despite this the play succeeds in portraying the deeper underlying story of a young girl who gradually gains an understanding of who she is and how her actions impact on others.

Alice in Wonder is an intelligently scripted and well acted production. I look forward to seeing the next production by Innov8 Youth Theatre.

Reviewed by Karen Moncrieffe (teacher and educational author).

             Reviewed Show:

           Alice In Wonder

                    by

          Melanie Clarke

           Dovehouse Theatre

           28th March 2009