Reviewed by Lorna Templeton
Alice in Wonderland is a well-known tale, so the question on everyone’s lips was how was a new musical, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, going to bring something fresh to the story? Well it very cleverly does just that!
Wonderland sees Alice as a 40-year-old single mum with a teenage daughter called Ellie. While Alice is having the worst day of her life, the White Rabbit appears and whisks the pair, as well as Alice’s secret admirer Jack, off to Wonderland.
Here a modern take on the tale, including a female power-hungry Mad Hatter and a girl power message reminiscent of Wicked, delights the audience, with top quality show tunes and laughs coming in equal measure.
The set is effective and costumes fabulously colourful. The cast boasts a hugely impressive CV for a touring show, with Rachael Wooding (Britain’s Got Talent) heading it up as Alice in fine form, her powerful voice being well showcased with the character’s big numbers. Wendi Peters (Cilla Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street) is superb and lights up the stage in a comic turn as the Queen of Hearts, and also shows off a very impressive singing voice. The ensemble cast work extremely well together and keep the vocals and dancing perfectly together.
It’s all fantastic fun and could well become the next big thing in musical theatre.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £23.90 to £51.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Wonderland is at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow from 3-8 July 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/kings or call the box office on 0844 871 7648.
King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JN | 0844 871 7648