People's Theatre
7th December, 2024
Panto season is here again (oh yes it is!) and doesn't it come around quick? Perhaps that's why the White Rabbit is so late in Wonderland....?
I like a traditional Panto - I love the comfortable familiarity of it all, of knowing the bad jokes will be coming, and the sing-la-long, and the ghosties scene. I know that's not necessarily the trendy outlook just now - there's a move towards giving Panto a modern twist, doing away with some of those old fashioned elements...I'm not necessarily against modernising things, but, I do like a good old traditional show.
Thankfully Alice in Wonderland at the People's Theatre hits a happy balance - it's not quite the usual Prince Charming saves the Princess and the live happily ever after tale...but it does have all the other expected elements of a panto. There is a baddie to boo at, and a hero (heroine) who has to become self aware enough to win the day (sorry, bit of a spoiler? Nah! Someone always wins the day in Pantoland!) There's a fairy, or in this case furry, godmother who keeps everything on course, a man dressed up as a woman, and an abundance of bad puns, terrible jokes and silly outfits. It's everything you could want and a little bit more.
The plot - sans Prince Charming - follows Alice, a perfectly ordinary school girl, bored with lessons and wanting life to be more interesting, who falls asleep and dreams a strange dream... She follows a white rabbit (wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch) down a rabbit hole and meets an array of strange characters, all interesting, some nice, some not so nice, but all a little bit mad! "We're all mad here, Alice!"
Of course the not so nice character - the Knave of Hearts - is trying to take over the Kingdom and will stop at nothing to achieve this, and Alice is the only person who can foil his dastardly plan.
But Alice doesn't believe she can help - she is only a girl, after all. But with some help (eventually) from her new friends - the White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar - to name just a few - Alice is able to realise her potential and save the day!
Was that another spoiler? Don't tell me you didn't realise from the title that Alice would be the one to save Wonderland? Who did you think would save everyone? Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum? Be serious - Ben Watkins and Callum Mawston are hilarious but the Tweedles are not kingdom savers!
It's a bit of a challenge for the costume department but they come up trumps with brilliant costumes for the more exotic characters - the Mock Turtle, looking very like a ninja mutant, and the Caterpillar formed from a stack of what looks like inner tubes and sandshoes (does anyone still call them that? Plimsolls, deck shoes....) then there are the playing cards and the dancing sea creatures. Alongside these are the very dapper White Rabbit, March Hare and Mad Hatter... all beautifully tailored!
Alice in wonderland is a weird and wonderful tale - besides the bizarre creatures there are many strange and magical events - Alice not only falls down a hole, she also has to shrink and grow to fit through doors - this is all achieved with some clever lighting and choreography. Erin Hattrick doesn't ever actually change in size but Nobby the Door does, and he gets a laugh from the audience for it!
This is such a well put together show - the music is great - from real musicians visible on stage, including a fabulously understated performance of Killer Queen from the Queen of Hearts (Kirstie Corfield), and an astounding tongue-twisting performance from the Mad Hatter - I missed all the hats in that scene because I was mesmerised by Luke Newey's performance! The jokes come thick and fast from the moment the White Rabbit appears to the very last scene and draw laughs and groans in equal measure.
There are outstanding performances from Alison Carr as the White Rabbit, Luke Newey as the Mad Hatter and Ian Willis as The Duchess, though it feels unfair not to simply list every cast member as every one gives such a great performance.
This is not your usual pantomime tale, and it is definitely a more than usual performance - it's funny, and joyous and clever and has such a positive message about the importance of creativity and imagination and knowing your true self...and it has a girl as the hero! What more could you want?
It plays until 15th December - but is pretty much sold out so if you have tickets you are in for a treat, and if not, I can only urge you to try for cancellation tickets this year and be sure to book early for next year's People's Panto to avoid such disappointment!
*images by Paul Hood
Denise Sparrowhawk
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