Alice in Wonderland

I was really pleased to be able to attend Riverside MTCs production as due to show clashes I hadn’t been able to attend their last two performances, thank you for the warm welcome.

A fun panto is always a popular festive treat for the family and all went away from this production with smiles on their faces.

The story of Alice in Wonderland has lots of characters and it gave opportunities for many of the members to step into the spotlight, some for the first time. The set was simple with the use of 4 backdrops and some additional pieces added to help depict the various Wonderland locations, scene changes were swift and kept the action moving . All of the characters had appropriate costumes to help depict their characters, I particularly liked the tea party costumes. The choreography was interesting to watch and well performed by everyone, the tap number in Act 2 was a nice addition. The singing was good throughout with a good mix of songs and the sound was good.

The lead role of Alice was shared, I saw Ellie Osbourne when I attended but I am sure that Caroline Bevan gave just as strong a performance. Ellie had good diction and stage presence and had a great rapport with Demilee Turnbull who played the White Rabbit. Demilee had lots of confidence and was able to engage with the audience to encourage their participation, they both came across as comfortable leading the show. Martin Anderson as The Duchess looked good (I especially liked that each outfit had a matching handbag), had good comic timing and also the experience required to improvise when needed. The good and evil in this panto are represented by the Cheshire Cat which was played by Jamie Donkin and the Knave of Hearts who was played by Roy Evans, both are experienced, confident performers who gave good interpretations of their characters and engaged well with the audience. Along her journey Alice met a very laid back Caterpillar well portrayed by Charlotte Spry  then bumped into Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee a couple who caused mayhem and chaos, again well portrayed by Marie Skipsey and Jane Gibson. When Alice finally reached the Tea Party she was whisked into the Mad Hatter’s world by a group of super characters. Dominic Bevan was very good as the Hatter, he had lots of energy and the right amount of over the top characterisation. The Hatter Patter was super – a very difficult piece to learn, so fast and wordy. I loved the characters of the Dormouse (Isla Kerry) and the March Hare (Dennise Bowes), great cameo roles who the audience really warmed to. Act 2 opens with Alice meeting the Mock Turtle who gave us a good song and tap dance routine, well done Bo Welch. Finally Alice found her way to the Palace and was met by 3 playing cards, Ace, Three and Seven played by 3 young performers with great confidence – well done Rosie Lowrie, Ellie Underwood and Jenson Richardson.  We finally met the formidable Queen of Hearts portrayed by Julie Barton. Julie gave a very strong performance and we certainly felt her presence; John Ronsdale was also good as her King never daring to contradict his wife, they were the perfect odd couple. Other supporting roles were well played by Catherine Bartley as Sister, Abbey Underwood as Knobby and Hannah Marvin as the Sea Creature. The chorus gave good support throughout.  

Congratulations to Alex on his directorial debut, it was good to see you included the traditional elements of panto so often missed now and also the additional libretto you added in the kitchen scene worked well. Well done to Alex, Susie, Julie and their support team on an entertaining production, the happiness on stage flowed into your audience. 

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