Last night, at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre, I was invited to watch Alice in Wonderland. A short synopsis of the story is that we (as audience members) were transported back to the old ages, specifically the 1990s (which at that point, I felt old knowing it was 30 years ago). Where stereos played cassettes. Alice (Paislie Reid) was fixing her stereo player, as it had stopped working. She wanted to hear the song her dad Simon would sing to her before he sadly wasn’t around anymore. In came her brother Lewis (Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos) with a birthday cake for Alice. Like most brothers, Lewis got on Alice’s nerves. Alice wouldn’t let Lewis interfere with the stereo in case she made things worse. After a few more tweaks to the stereo, she was transported to a wonderland within the cassette player where she met Volume (Jerome Lincoln), Eject (Myles Miller), Rewind (Steve Simmonds), Bez (Tomi Ogbaro), Play (Daniel Carter-Hope), and many other characters. Alice needed to get all these buttons together and fix them before the two sister Queens (Leanne Jones and Natasha Lewis) found out.
The show was made up of actor musicians, who not only multi-rolled characters but each played various instruments, which was a joy to see. The singing was of a high standard and full of lovely harmonies. For me, the show felt as if it didn’t get going and was a bit in places. For example, it advertised itself as a pantomime. Yes, it was indeed pantomime-esque, but it needed someone to really get the crowd involved to shout “he’s behind you,” as well as cheer and boo at the right moments. Paisley Reid had good vocals and Carter-Hope, paired with Simmonds, make a great double act. I even got the Doctor Who subtle reference. I personally felt lost in some parts of the story, and I don’t think I was the only one. As members of the audience surrounding me would ask who Simon was. However, it could have been made clearer earlier on in the show. As a whole, it is great entertainment for younger audiences, and they’d really enjoy the effects as well as the touching message the show provides. It was nice to see the show be very accessible, with having a signer to help patrons who have hearing difficulties or who are deaf.
The show was directed by Kate Wasserberg and under the musical direction of Bob Broad. I will say, though, that it was nice to see a pantomime with original songs and music, as opposed to using a jukebox-style setup. It was a first for me to see a rap battle within a panto, and I must admit I kind of loved it and would like to see it again in other shows.
Worth a watch I personally wouldn’t hurry back to see it but kids would certinatly enjoy this show for special effects and moving moments.
The show is running until July 22nd and tickets to Wonderland are selling very quickly. So I’d be getting my running shoes on and hotfooting it to the box office before it’s too late. You can get tickets in person or by calling 0151 709 4776. As well as their website, https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/
Reviewer: Luke Stephenson
Reviewed: 6th July 2023
North West End UK Rating: