Alice in Wonderland

The Guildhall of St George King’s Lynn provide a fitting venue for King’s Lynn Young Players’ (KLYP) production of Alice in Wonderland. As I took my seat, I was impressed by the simple yet effective set, lighting and drifting fog (Chris Fox & Crew). This created a whimsical atmosphere for what was about to unfold.

KLYP did not disappoint. After a two-year break from any performances due to Covid, this was a great return for the youth group. This was well directed by Sharon Fox (assisted by Deborah Ketteridge) who had bought some clever ideas to the production (e.g. Alice’s pool of tears and rapping characters) and had clearly got the most out of her cast. I was impressed with the clever use of the musical underscore (did I hear an extract from Cats the musical for the Cheshire cat?). The scene changes were seamlessly carried out by cast members in character. There were a couple of moments where the stage was empty for what seemed like an extended period, but that was followed by all the whole cast coming on - the Guildhall and its lack of wing space taking its toll! I was also impressed by the costumes and the simple yet effective changes between characters for many of the cast.

The play’s namesake was formidable – our leading lady who kept the play moving at pace was Alice (Bella Guyatt). The sheer volume of words to learn for one so young and to be delivered so well was impressive. I also understand she had recently had her appendix removed and was back at rehearsals a few days later. Some of Lewis Carroll’s poems are not easy to deliver - a future star in the making! Well done!

Supporting Alice’s journey through the looking glass was an enthusiastic ensemble, many of whom were seamlessly doubling up in their roles. At the outset, the white rabbit (Maddi Rimmer) set the scene well for the confused Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts (Ash Coates) gave us an excellent Queen Victorian-esque characterisation. The Mad Hatter’s tea party was a treat with confident performances from the March Hare (Finnley Pitcher) and the sleepy Dormouse (Isobel Garside). Hats off (!) though to the Mad Hatter himself (Tim Webb), who was one of the highlights of the whole play delivering a comedic and physical performance throughout.

Other notable performances included Tweedledum and Tweedledee (George and William Hewish). Whilst I didn’t understand the weird story of the walrus and the carpenter (blame Lewis Carroll!), the brothers delivered it through an entertaining rap battle. A further rap was delivered by the Mock Turtle (Chloe Rothwell) and the Gryphon (Iris Dunmore) – not as secure on the timing, but word perfect and delivered with confidence.

The cast span a wide age range and a couple of the younger members, the mouse (Alice Clark) and Cheshire Cat (Verity O’Connor) deserve a special mention for their entertaining cameos.

Altogether a very enjoyable matinee and this reviewer left feeling uplifted from a couple of hours of entertaining whimsical Lewis Carroll at its finest.

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