Review by Leeann Apps, 15 July 2017
IMAGINE YOUTH THEATRE TRUST’S
“ALICE IN WONDERLAND”- A VISUAL TREAT
In any adaption of Lewis Carroll’s classic storybook tale of “Alice in Wonderland” for the stage, there is much to consider. How do you strike a balance between being sufficiently truthful to the original as to satisfy your audience, whilst injecting elements of your own interpretation to it? Then of course there is the issue of length. Get that wrong and concentration spans wane.
At one hour long and through the use of movement, music, singing and speech Alice and her friends swiftly take us through her Wonderland journey. They successfully engage even the youngest members of the audience all the way.
There are all the readily recognisable characters including the Mad Hatter, March Hare, the Cheshire cat and the Queen of Hearts to keep the ardent fans of Alice, such as my seven year old daughter happy.
In this respect writer and director Martin Howells achieves his goal. I would however, have liked to have seen more of the second tier approach in his writing, with the adult humour when it did appear, being very well received.
Both Julia Guthrey as Alice, and David Allen in his portrayal of the Mad Hatter delivered endearing performances, while Helen Moran as the Queen of Hearts clearly relished her role and lifted the energy of the production up another notch.
The game of croquet with its flamingos and hedgehogs brought a wide smile to everyone’s faces.
This production provides an avenue for younger children and teenagers to experience being on stage, offering them a creative outlet and an opportunity to gain confidence. These younger cast members tackled several of the minor character roles and also made up the wider ensemble. They worked well together, admirably supporting the leads while keeping the story humming along.
One of the highlights for my nine year old son and myself was Chris Reddington’s simple but effective set design, together with the use of varied lighting techniques (Designer Stephen Brinkhurst). The stage lighting, projections and silhouettes to convey a given mood or environment in tandem with the set, culminated in a visually pleasing and engaging production.
My son wanted more.
“Alice in Wonderland” runs through to 22 July. I do recommend you pop along with the family to see it. You’ll be glad you did.
At one hour long and through the use of movement, music, singing and speech Alice and her friends swiftly take us through her Wonderland journey. They successfully engage even the youngest members of the audience all the way.
There are all the readily recognisable characters including the Mad Hatter, March Hare, the Cheshire cat and the Queen of Hearts to keep the ardent fans of Alice, such as my seven year old daughter happy.
In this respect writer and director Martin Howells achieves his goal. I would however, have liked to have seen more of the second tier approach in his writing, with the adult humour when it did appear, being very well received.
Both Julia Guthrey as Alice, and David Allen in his portrayal of the Mad Hatter delivered endearing performances, while Helen Moran as the Queen of Hearts clearly relished her role and lifted the energy of the production up another notch.
The game of croquet with its flamingos and hedgehogs brought a wide smile to everyone’s faces.
This production provides an avenue for younger children and teenagers to experience being on stage, offering them a creative outlet and an opportunity to gain confidence. These younger cast members tackled several of the minor character roles and also made up the wider ensemble. They worked well together, admirably supporting the leads while keeping the story humming along.
One of the highlights for my nine year old son and myself was Chris Reddington’s simple but effective set design, together with the use of varied lighting techniques (Designer Stephen Brinkhurst). The stage lighting, projections and silhouettes to convey a given mood or environment in tandem with the set, culminated in a visually pleasing and engaging production.
My son wanted more.
“Alice in Wonderland” runs through to 22 July. I do recommend you pop along with the family to see it. You’ll be glad you did.
