A Frabjous Evening of Fun
Review by Sean Baker
Written as a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass finds Alice a little more grown-up (that ‘mythical creature’, a teenager, according to the Unicorn) and with a lot more attitude. In Barry Brown’s inventive, playful, at times subversive, hands as writer and director, we find Alice frequently sparring with her creator, Lewis Carroll, giving as good as she gets as she moves across a virtual chessboard, a pawn who is eventually crowned Queen, only to find it was all a dream.
Poppy Saunders gave us a sparkling, sparky, spirited Alice, whose opening line to Lewis Carroll (an assured and suitably diffident Scott Brindle), ‘This is boring’, perfectly established not only her character, but also the core relationship at the heart of the play: teenager-with-attitude versus crusty nonsense-loving academic. This opening scene introduced us to the steampunk aesthetic of the production design in the form of Alice’s costume, courtesy of Tracy James, which included not only a quirky hair decoration created by Hannah Curtis (somewhere between a hairband, tiara and fascinator and comprising brass hands of old clocks), but also linked into the black & white stylings of much of the set and props, with Alice’s monochrome, harlequin-patterned tights.
In a play where everyone (including, it must be said, the audience) was clearly having a ball, and where everyone was playing multiple roles, it feels invidious to highlight individual performances, though Martin Maynard’s turn as a Trumpian Humpty Dumpty was a true scene-stealer.
This was just one of an abundance of excellent characterisations from the whole cast, though one key to the success of the production was also in the pairings. Particularly effective for me were Mandy Jeffery (a commanding Red Queen) and Madeleine Forrester (a delightfully batty White Queen); Tim Drummond and Chris Hudson as Tweedledee and Tweedledum; and Davinia Fisher and Martin Maynard as She and He, sparring at times like an old married couple, with their out-of-character asides to each other contrasting beautifully with the clipped delivery of their verse. Indeed, these instances of characters stepping out of their role to discuss the script or comment on their own performance added greatly to the fun: Colin Lawrence’s needy ‘Was that alright? Not…too much?’ to Lewis Carroll following his turn as a coarse Father William was beautifully pitched and got Act 2 off to a rip-roaring start.
The comedy was broad, with nonsense (obviously!), wordplay (ditto), combining with satire, Monty Python, slapstick, silent movies and visual gags (Helen McCallum’s puffing top hat being a particular delight) for laughs.
Alongside the uniformly high standard of performance, the production team was also at the top of its game. I loved the quacking ducks just audible at the end of the crashing train sound effect (Chris Hay), and Dominic Plunkett provided consistently effective lighting throughout, particularly in the Jabberwocky scene. The props (Beth White) were excellent with the Jabberwock head and the Walrus’s breadknife and loaf of bread being highlights. Topping it all off was the music (Ian Favell), catchy and charming, delivered with panache and confidence by several soloists as well as, at times, the whole cast.
Overall, this was a wonderfully silly, entertaining evening which did full justice to Lewis Carroll’s writing, delivered by a hugely talented cast and production team who clearly bought into the final spoken line: ‘Now that you are grown up, your life will be full of nonsense’.
Jam today with BAWDS production of Alice Through the Looking Glass
Review by Cordelia Brown
The White Queen may declare jam yesterday and jam tomorrow, but Barry Brown’s superb adaptation of a Carroll classic delivers jam today.This is a colourful production; colour in its bright costumes, colour in its madcap array of characters, colour in its witty and delicious dialogue, colouring its fun, its humour, its liveliness. It’s a vivacious production with a cast of 15 bringing a rich and sumptuous vigour to the stage, whether in the lively battle between the Lion and the Unicorn to the peppering of songs perfectly seasoning the play throughout.
But it’s never over done. The costumes shine jewel bright as they are accentuated by the black and white backdrops. The characters are larger than life but never overwhelming; no fear of over-acting here. The dialogue is sharp, witty and fun, but never too fast and clear as a bell, so you never miss a laugh.
Particular moments stick in the mind: the opening scene of the characters on the chess board, with the white bishop eagerly advancing then making a devout sign of the cross, only to be met by the red bishop taking a swig from a hip flask after grudgingly making his own move on the board. Tweedledum and Tweedledee’s naughtiness and mischievousness. The ongoing humour of
the bards, delivering their rhymes perfectly while engaging in a number of arguments as their storyline gradually developed throughout the production. The oysters quivering in fright as they realise they are to be lunch during the ballad of the Walrus and the Carpenter. And who could possibly forget Humpty Dumpty, a wonderful Trump satire of self-satisfaction, allowing The Wall to take on even greater meaning.
The addition of songs, music, and video give texture and depth to an outstanding production where there is no weak link. The production team should be proud – everything went smoothly and it all contributed to the show; nothing was superfluous, all was marvellous. Enjoy the jam today. It’s a Christmas present delivered early.