ALICE IN WONDERLAND ETC, Carroll, Adapt Adrian Mitchell, RSC till 9 March 200
ALICE IN WONDERLAND & THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Lewis Carroll, Dramatisation, Adrian Mitchell
Main House: Tkts 01789 403403
Runs: 2h, one interval, till 9 March 2002
Review: Rod Dungate, 5 December
Visually stunning effects will hold your attention but Adrian Mitchell's poor adaptation keeps the production firmly earth-boundThere is much that is good in this full-of-spectacular-effects production. Take children and they will, without doubt, be carried along by the inventiveness and visual magic. But a fault runs through the whole project that undermines it as a theatre piece at almost every turn.
How do you do falling down a rabbit hole? Growing bigger and smaller? A cat that leaves just a grin? All these are achieved with huge confidence in Peter McKintosh's stylish designs. Through witty use of perspective Alice's growing and shrinking takes place 'before your very eyes.' And of all the effects, the greatest of all, are the designs for the Hearts Court Cards: It is hard to imagine 3D humans looking so like the traditional 2D cards, but here is the living proof. The production is a visual feast of many courses.
However Adrian Mitchell's shoddy adaptation, in an endeavour to rush through everything leads to a helter-skelter of staged events that can never merge into a whole.
The tone of hysteria is reflected in Rachel Kavanaugh's production with actors pulling grotesque faces and shouting at each other. This lack of attention to the internal workings of a text would never be accepted in the RSC's work for adults – and children should be treated with the same respect, not patronised. Mitchell appears to have not taken into account that children's humour has changed since Dodgson's days, much of the verbal humour, played, as it is at a hell of a lick, passes present day children by.
Where the production really works is when it quietens down and we are given time to get to know characters and listen to them talking to each other. Most notable among these are the Mock Turtle and Gryphon and the Walrus and the Carpenter.
Paul Leonard (the epitome of lugubriousness as the Mock Turtle) and Martyn Ellis (Gryphon) entertain us with their sad tale. Here are two real characters, the Gryphon for all the world like Captain Mannering and the Turtle a white-faced clown cum jack tar. The Walrus and the Carpenter is performed as a kind of Music Hall turn by Robert Horwell and Chris Larner with Jamie Golding and Adam Sims (Tweedledum and Tweedledee) and, naturally, lots and lots of little oyster puppets – here is a genuine and immediate humour with a glorious twist at the end.
Katherine Heath presents Alice with all the niceties and good manners you would expect, but with a surprising toughness as she seeks out one adventure after another.
Alice: Katherine Heath
Charles Dodgson//White Knight: Daniel Flynn
Canon Duckworth/Duck/Red Knight: Jamie De Courcey
Lorina/Lory: Rosie Craig
Edith/Eaglet: Laura Main
White Rabbit: Richard Henders
Mouse/Tweedledee: Adam Sims
Magpie/Seven of Spades: Sarah Quist
Canary/Cook: Fiona Dunn
Fury/Frog Footman/Horse: Paul Kissaun
Caterpillar/Ace of Clubs/White King: John Conroy
Father William/Duchess/Walrus: Robert Horwell
Youth/Tweedledum: Jamie Golding
Fish Footman: Christopher Key
Cheshire Cat/Tiger Lily: Sarah Redmond
March Hare/Haigha/Aged Aged Man: Martin Turner
Mad Hatter/Carpenter/Hatta: Chris Larner
Dormouse/White Queen: Marilyn Cutts
Queen of Hearts/Red Queen: Liza Sadovy
King of Hearts/Guard/Unicorn: John Hodgkinson
Knave of Hearts/Fawn: Dominic Marsh
Two of Spades/Beetle/Lion: Mark McLean
Five of Spades/Goat: Mitchell Moreno
Gryphon/Humpty Dumpty: Martyn Ellis
Mock Turtle/Gentleman in White Paper Suit/Red King: Paul Leonard
Director: Rachel Kavanaugh
Designer: Peter McIntosh
Lighting: Chris Davey
Sound: Andrew Bruce, Matt McKenzie
Music: Terry Davies, Stephen Warbeck
Movement: Linda Dobell
2001-12-06 23:32:20