“Movement is contorted and manic, but also clever, imaginative, and precise”
Since its publication in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has been adapted dozens of times. While the adult themes of the children’s book are widely acknowledged, Joelene English’s modern dance piece, Alice: The Lost Chapter, delves into the darker side of the story. She explores Alice’s troubled subconscious and subverts other familiar characters, presenting us with a straight-jacketed Mad Hatter, a pained, grimacing Cheshire cat and an anxious, tense White Rabbit.
English’s production combines dance, physical theatre and film, to create an unflinchingly dark and atmospheric piece. Alison Ashton’s gorgeous set, reminiscent of a Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro film, sets the nightmarish tone perfectly. Mismatched wooden furniture, a closet with a staircase of drawers, a cobweb-shrouded picture frame, an eerie dressing table and a writing desk containing different sized doors become a dark and whimsical playground for the disturbed characters. The stunning video projections complete the effect, making the atmosphere of the piece utterly engrossing.
English’s choreography draws on contemporary experimental physical theatre rather than traditional dance. It is aggressively and persistently confrontational and uncomfortable for its audience. Movement is contorted and manic, but also clever, imaginative, and precise, while the decidedly unmusical soundscape is jarring and strange.
Alicia Meehan’s Alice hovers between the wide-eyed curiosity we associate with the character and a more unsettling, obsessive watchfulness. English has given her some gorgeously haunting choreography – we often see her in the background dangling in a closet or precariously perched on set pieces. The other characters frantically guide Alice through this ‘wonderland’, scuttling or twitching their way around the stage.
The overarching effect of the piece is that of a disjointed and hypnotic dream. Several moments, however, stand out. The Mad Hatter’s tea party is fiercely anxious. The four characters scramble desperately around the table before freezing in contorted positions then melting away. In the opening sequence Alice is seated as the Red Queen stands behind her doing her hair. What begins as a slightly uncomfortable maternal scene, quickly evolves into a display of desperate obsession and control. The queen then disappears for the remainder of the piece. In Meehan’s final haunting solo, she dances with a bright red dress, reminding us of the Queen’s absence and creating an agonising sense of loneliness and longing.
English’s Alice is ultimately a harrowing, challenging commentary on mental health. Carroll’s world makes for the perfect, twisted backdrop upon which the subconscious mind can come to life through movement. As with any excellent piece of theatre, Alice forces its audience to confront itself. It is simultaneously beautiful and grotesque, captivating and deeply painful. The mesmerising piece is gripping from start to finish and will be hard to shake from the memory.
RGM productions has announced the full cast for the West End première of The Hunting of the Snark, a brand-new family musical inspired by the creator of Alice in Wonderland’s beloved classic poem. From the lead producer of the international smash hit musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical, The Hunting of the Snark made its world première in Cardiff at the Sherman Theatre last year followed by a run at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Gemma Colclough directs Will Bryant (The Baker & The Bandernatch), Ben Galpin (The Bellman), Jordan Leigh-Harris (Boy), Simon Turner (The Banker) and Polly Smith (The Butcher). This family musical adventure opens at the Vaudeville Theatre on 28 July, with previews from the 26 July and runs until 2 September. Following the West End run the show will continue a national tour around the country from 25 September to 19 November.
All aboard! The ship is departing! All children, animals and silly people welcome!
The impossible voyage of an improbable crew to hunt an imaginary creature is brought magically to life in this sparkling musical comedy adventure for 4 to 94 year olds.
Enter the imaginative world of Alice in Wonderland creator, Lewis Carroll, in this brand new, highly original, ultra-modern adaptation inspired by his beloved classic poem.
This show features five high-energy actors, a life-like puppet, fantastical characters, and lashings of daft humour.
A riotous ragtag gang of bold adventurers including The Boy, The Banker, The Butcher, The Baker, The Bellman and The Knitting Beaver set off on a quest to catch the mythical Snark… on the journey they encounter the Jub Jub Bird, the sly Bandersnatch and the dastardly Boojum… Can a Snark be caught with soap? Will the Beaver escape the hungry Butcher’s clutches? Will the Baker remember his name? Does anyone know what a Snark actually looks like?
Side-splittingly funny, joyful, fast-paced and bursting with a soundtrack of witty songs by an award-winning songwriter, The Hunting of the Snark will delight, excite and entertain.
Annabel Wigoder is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers programme and Studio Group. She has a diploma in Script Development from the NFTS affiliated Script Factory and an MA in Creative Writing. Her short plays have been staged at Theatre 503, Southwark Playhouse, Riverside Studios, Soho Theatre and The Old Red Lion.
Gareth Cooper is a writer and performer, specialising in musical comedy (with some stand-up, sketch and poetry thrown in for good measure). From 2008-13, he wrote and performed with award winning, critically acclaimed sketch group, Delete the Banjax, and now splits his time between acting, writing and stand-up. His recent acting work includes Three Keepers, Dracula and the award-winning short film, The Three of Us, for which he also wrote the title track. In addition, in 2016 Gareth came second in the International Songwriting Competiton (Comedy category).
Will Bryant will play The Baker & the Bandernatch. His theatre credits include, Incident at Vichy (Finborough Theatre, Kings Head Theatre), The Lost Boy: Peter Pan (Catford Broadway Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (International tour), Dracula (UK tour), Rope (Brockley Jack Theatre); The Shakespeare Conspiracy (Chelsea Theatre), Hound (Riverside Studios Hammersmith) and Othello (The White Bear Theatre). Film credits include Tenants (Sophistic), The Last Day, Nightshade, On Seeing, Kindness and All Seasons Burn in Hell.
Ben Galpin plays The Bellman. For theatre his credits include Potted Sherlock (Vaudeville Theatre), The Tempest (Thick As Thieves), Twelfth Night (Open Bar Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Open Book Theatre), Bite-Size Plays (St James Theatre) and Romy & Julian (Vienna’s English Theatre).
Jordan Leigh-Harris plays Boy. She previously performed in The Hunting of the Snark at the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Polly Smith plays The Butcher. Theatre credits include Table Manners (UK tour), Sleighed to Death (UK tour), Portrait of Murder (Devonshire Park, Eastbourne), Secondary Cause of Death (UK tour), Helga Philby (UK tour), A Bedfull of Foreigners (UK tour), Daisy Pulls it Off, Love’s A Luxury and A Touch of Danger (UK tour), Titus Andronicus and Henry VI part 1 (The Rose Playhouse, Bankside).
Simon Turner plays The Banker. His previous credits include Blood Brothers (Phoenix Theatre), The Railway Children (UK Tour), Aladdin (Carriageworks Theatre, Lovegrove Theatre), A Body To Die(t) For (Landor Theatre), Henry VI Part 1 (The Rose Theatre, Bankside), That’s Love (The Mill at Sonning), Jazz in Club Class (Waterside Arts Theatre), The Gamblers, Blue Remembered Hills (Crescent Theatre, Birmingham) and Frank and Dean in Legends (UK Tour).
Gemma Colclough directs. She has been Artistic Director of Idle Hands Productions since 2007, and Associate Director of the Rose Theatre since 2008. Her credits include The Last Great Lady (Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham), The Beat My Time Machine Skipped (Soho Theatre, Blast Off!), If A Ten Ton Truck (Theatre 503), NewsRevue (Canal Café Theatre, Run 1 and 5, 2012), The View From Here (Theatre 503, RWR), My Love (Lion & Unicorn Theatre for Giant Olive) and Titus Andronicus (The Rose Theatre, Bankside).
