Aleksandar Antonijevic in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderlandis the National Ballet of Canada’s latest offering, and it’s everything you want from an Alice adaptation – it’s colourful, quirky, and energetic.
The production, a joint venture with The Royal Ballet, premiered at the Royal Opera House in London, England in February and received admiring reviews from the British press. The Guardian was particularly enthusiastic, calling it “an Alice whose wit, speed and invention have lifted the whole story ballet genre into the 21st century.”
All of the hype was enough to convince ballet fans on this side of the pond. They filled the Four Seasons Centre, Toronto for the show’s Canadian opening on June 4. Ballet buffs mingled with young girls in sparkly dresses, all sharing the same sense of anticipation. As the curtain lifted, it soon became clear that none of us would be disappointed.
In Lewis Carroll’s original story, Alice asks, “What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?” The National Ballet provided plenty of both, with a dizzying array of visual effects that got the audience talking. In this production doors grow, shrink, and zoom around. A puppet tumbles down a rabbit hole that appears from inside a bag. Glitter pours from the ceiling, a cake becomes a trampoline, a human-sized paper boat navigates the stage. That’s just the first act.
In the second, the Queen of Hearts sets up court in her house of cards, and the show becomes an extravaganza in red and black. Even the trees dance. Each moment is ingeniously designed and choreographed, leaving the audience open-mouthed.
In short, it’s a theatre-goer’s dream and a stage manager’s nightmare.
The elaborate set and costume design almost overshadow the dancing itself – this is ballet gone Broadway. Artistic Director Karen Kain insists, “In size and theatricality, Alice can be compared to a big-ticket musical, but at its heart, it is pure ballet.”
The production is held up by a strong cast. Alice (Jillian Vanstone) barely leaves the stage and dances her way through confusion and excitement with gusto. She’s elegant but spirited – a teenager who’s keen to explore. B.C.-born Vanstone has called her interpretation of Alice “feisty, spunky, optimistic and curious. She’s not afraid to try anything.”
The Queen of Hearts (Greta Hodgkinson) was triumphant, outlandish, and funny. This is Hodgkinson’s twentieth year with the company, and she’s known for her strength in classical and contemporary pieces alike. Equally accomplished guest Steven MacRae danced the role of the erratic Mad Hatter on tap shoes to the delight of the audience.
The challenge that remained was to communicate the chaotic plot. Despite the help of playwright Nicholas Wright, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon admitted to feeling overwhelmed: “Many of the problems with Alice stem from its episodic nature. The challenges we faced were: What is Alice’s journey? Does she fall down the hole, have all those crazy episodes and then wake up? Or is there more of a journey?”
It’s no wonder that in the books Alice exclaims, “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.” But this production works precisely because the story does make sense. It may be bizarre, dreamlike, and even ludicrous, but the audience knows it. Often at traditional ballets people are forced to frantically consult the programme notes – the stories of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker are no longer familiar to us.
Alice, on the other hand, has never gone out of fashion. The book remains popular – partly thanks to the enduring Disney adaptation. The more recent Tim Burton film has pushed it back into the spotlight, reminding us what we loved about it. In fact, it’s practically shorthand for an entire aesthetic: checkerboard patterns, playing cards, toppling tea sets and a loveable grinning cat. They’re all present and correct in the National Ballet production with new mischievous twists that will make you laugh with surprise.
Go and see the show. If you don’t love it, I’ll eat my “10/6” top hat.
To buy tickets click here.
