Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre were back on stage at the Daneside Theatre with their production of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Directed by Rachel Wood and Crystal Holford, this was a production full of imagination. The set was impressive and had the feeling of a child’s playground. A huge open book allowed characters to enter and exit through the pages, a slide added to the whimsy, and a bed that was transformed throughout. Costumes were good throughout and helped aid characters. The catwalk from stage to the auditorium provided an additional entrance and allowed the cast to involve the audience in the performance (the Pig exiting and oinking in the faces of audience members, the Cook entering grinding pepper (confetti) on the audience). Allowing the young performers to display their individual talents was a great way for the cast to take ownership of their production. We had everything from composing and singing original songs to dance to gymnastics. Congratulations to Rachel and Crystal for creating an environment for all the cast to be able to express their individualities.

Lighting (Nick Walker) and sound (Tom Maurice) were good throughout.

Olivia Gill was brilliant as Alice. She was on stage throughout, and commanded the stage. Olivia brought out the curious nature of Alice well and was faultless throughout. She was able to stand out on a very busy stage. A very good performance.

Niamh Moss did well as Lewis Carroll and White Rabbit. It was an interesting idea doubling these characters and it worked! Having the author of the story become Alice’s guide and the only constant in Wonderland worked well. Niamh could have brought a much more nervous energy to the White Rabbit.

Maddie Holford was great as the Queen of Hearts. She had an air of authority and self-importance, which is just what is needed for this part. Maddie’s dancing was also very good. Ashton Elms provided suitable support as the King of Hearts, and worked well with Maddie.

Xanthe Green appeared as Alice’s Mother and delivered her lines well. Maisie Whitter was Alice’s Reflection, adding to the quirkiness of the piece. She has a lovely singing voice. Maddie Wrench was good as Mouse. She was a bit quiet at times, but came into her own when singing and playing the ukulele.

The birds of Wonderland (Abbie McLeavy – Duck, Riley Simmons – Dodo, Arthur Wedgbury – Parrot, Ellena Aidley) were good in their scene. Each had developed their own character. Just be careful that if you are putting on voices for your characters that the audience can still hear and understand you. Arthur as the Parrot was particularly funny.

The Caterpillar (Joey Turner, Charlie Gill, Zac Harding and Luke Farrall) was an imaginative way of presenting this character. The physicality that the boys brought to the character was great. The transformation to the butterfly, and the following butterfly scene, was really good and looked great with the UV lighting.

The way that the Cheshire Cat was brought to life was, again, imaginative. Junior Dale, Olivia Massey and Nancy Alcock-Bailey all worked well together, and the physicality that the three of them brought helped bring the character to life.

Chloe Furlong was entertaining as the Duchess. She was suitably over the top. Be careful not to upstage your other cast members, especially in the courtroom scene. Make sure that you keep the power in the voice from the start of your line to the end. Will Turner (Baby/Pig) and Arthur Belfield (Cook) similarly were over the top in their performances, which was just right. Arthur’s French accent added to the character and the humour.

The Mad Hatter’s tea party was, as it should be, mad! Louie Barnett as the Mad Hatter, was generally good. There were moments of uncertainty with a few lines, but it was covered up well. Lily Bailey added to the madness as the March Hare – nicely done. Taylor Dakin was an inspired piece of casting as Dormouse, towering over the other performers. Taylor displayed a great characterisation as Dormouse and was funny in the scene.

The Playing Cards (Hannah Bentley, Sydney Wheeldon and Charlotte Potter) did well with their parts. It was a shame that most of their lines were delivered upstage.

Evie Fallows provided a small cameo as Gryphon. She could have been a bit more authoritative. Mason Royall was a very good Mock Turtle. Suitably funny, and was able to show off his singing voice. Lottie Riley and Lilia Barnett were good as the bickering Whiting and Snail. It was a shame due to the position of the piano that their backs were to the audience for most of the scene.

Overall, this was a good production, full of creativity, fully inclusive, and was a great showcase for each performer to shine.

Thank you to Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre for their warm welcome and kind hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘Nativity!, later this year!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.