A beloved literary heroine has been given a thrilling new lease of life in the Welsh capital this festive season. Alice: Return to Wonderland, a wonderfully eccentric new Christmas musical, is captivating audiences at Cardiff's Sherman theatre until 3 January.
From Post-War Cardiff to a Fantastical Rematch
The production, written by Hannah McPake with music by Lucy Rivers, presents a fascinating twist on Lewis Carroll's classic tales. We meet Alice Liddell, played by Elian Mai West, not as a curious child but as a jaded adult. It's post-war Cardiff, and Alice is a single mother and town planner for the council, overseeing an unpopular project to replace a children's play street with a multi-storey car park.
Grey-skirted and grumpy, all the wonder has seemingly left her. However, the tyrannical Queen of Hearts demands a croquet rematch. Thus, the White Rabbit, portrayed by Keiron Self, skitters back into her life, sweeping her away to a familiar yet refreshed Wonderland.
A Kaleidoscope of Music, Puppetry and Intelligent Humour
This is no simple retelling. Director Hannah McPake and the creative team have conjured Carroll's world of fantasy and dream with immense imagination. Barnaby Southgate's skewed set design and Elin Steele's wondrous costumes and puppets – from sweet to a truly breathtaking Jabberwock – create a visual feast.
The show is infused with a heady mix of children's games, analogies on power, and intelligent humour. A five-piece band of actor-musicians, dressed as Wonderlanders, provides the soundtrack. The songs are strong, featuring catchy power ballads like 'Red' sung by Caitlin Lavagna's Red Queen and amusing numbers like Humpty Dumpty's Elvis impersonation.
Rediscovering Identity Through Play
At its heart, the musical explores the existential questions woven into Carroll's original work. In songs like the Hatter's 'Who Are You?', played by Max James, Alice's journey becomes a search for her lost self. Alongside characters like the Unicorn (Emily Ivana Hawkins), she learns a vital lesson from Wonderland: "You don't stop playing because you grow up, you grow up because you stop playing."
Through this playful and imaginative reworking, Alice rediscovers how to cherish her inner child. Alice: Return to Wonderland is a timely, inventive, and thoroughly entertaining production that offers a resonant message for audiences of all ages in Cardiff this Christmas.
