Following the roaring success of Alex in wonderland in summer 09, we were send this review, and i think it perfectly sums up the show.

Alex in Wonderland – A review

 

 

This wonderful piece of entertainment was brought to Teesside by the new community theatre group, Fracture Theatre. Their slogan ‘We Make Art’ certainly applied when they put this production on at Stockton’s Arc. They wrote, choreographed, sewed costumes, made scenery and props, and even raised funds for the local church hall so they could rehearse in the space for free. In fact, if there was anything to be done then this theatre company did it. And all this was accomplished during the school summer holidays; six weeks from start to finish.

 

Alex in Wonderland is loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale Alice in Wonderland. It might be assumed The White Rabbit, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and even The Queen of Hearts may make an appearance, and in fact all of these characters do show up in this version in one guise or another, along with many other favourites from the original.

 

As the lights go down in the auditorium, a tinkling melody from a spooky music box begins to play, suggesting that we are not here to see a cloned version of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece.  From the outset this production is very different.

 

Brilliantly played by actor Lee Foster, The Clown is the narrator who leads us though the tale in rhyme. His monologues are both informative and amusing and without The Clown the audience would, at times, be lost, for the plot is occasionally a little disjointed. Each monologue gets longer, more complicated and faster, and he appears to become more and more frustrated. We see the subtle beginnings of madness or perhaps obsessive compulsive disorder in his character fairly early on.

 

The story begins on a bare stage. It’s Halloween; Alex (dressed naively as Alice in Wonderland) and her friends (dressed as rabbits) arrive at a seedy, backstreet, nightspot called The Wonderland Club. Alex and her friends want a ‘GOOD’ night out, doing what teenagers do, dancing and drinking … and, as you’d expect, doing it all to excess.

 

Fracture Theatre’s clever use of moveable scenery turns the bare, uninspiring stage, instantly, into the front entrance to the club. Later in the show, the same scenery is turned on its side to give the audience a view of the inside of the club. While shortly after that, the same bits of scenery become the ladies toilets. All very clever stuff!

 

The Clown keeps us up to date with the plot, and by now the audience are beginning to realise that this is a darker version of the original tale. Alcohol and drugs are used in the night club and inevitably Alex’s drink is spiked by a sinister, hooded figure.

 

The ensuing drug induced, dream scene sees Alex alone in the spotlight, all around is total darkness. When the lights come up, mysterious figures surround her. It becomes clear that many of them are Lewis Carroll’s characters, reinforcing the link to the original Alice in Wonderland.

 

The show is kept moving by a cleverly written script that is expertly delivered, and is regularly interspaced with adrenaline pumping, hip-hop and street dance performed by the entire cast.

 

Act two begins with a hilarious scene. Alex has lost her two friends and in an attempt to find them, arrives at the Wonderland Unidentified Missing Persons Association or WUMPA. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee make an appearance as WUMPA clerical officers. Their delivery of Dolly Parton’s hit, Nine to Five was a delight; mimed to perfection! The audience were rolling in the aisles!

 

Predictably, the Queen of Hearts tarts are stolen and Alex finds herself in a courtroom with the Knave of Hearts being tried for the theft. The courtroom scene has us laughing again at the ‘gay’ jester. His camp portrayal of his character adds a welcome lightness to a scene that could have been a little bit too humdrum.

 

Perhaps the only thing that let this performance down was The Mad Hatter’s song. Having already heard to the words of this song I was disappointed that The Hatter didn’t appear to remember the words or even the tune! Maybe this was a deliberate attempt to make The Mad Hatter appear drunk but in my view it failed although he did succeed in confusing the audience. That being said, everything else The Mad Hatter did went well. His dance ability was flawless and perhaps that is what he should stick to… dance.

 

This thought provoking, modern version of a classic story written more than a hundred and forty years ago is Fracture Theatre’s most professional production yet. Fracture Theatre Company is a young company, not only in the length of time it has existed but because all of its members are between the ages of fourteen and twenty one. Alex in Wonderland is Fracture’s third production at the Arc and, for a group of people who have had very little experience in putting on a production of this size, they have delivered a colourful, entertaining, humorous, heart thumping piece of theatre with something for everyone.

 

Alex in Wonderland touches on topics that may not be to everyone’s taste but non-the-less these are issues that arise in youth culture today and as so Fracture has dealt with them well. This theatre group is not afraid to deal with issues that may be contentious but does it in an entertaining and informative way. All in all, this is a production that entertained and provoked thought, from beginning to end. Well done Fracture Theatre!

 

If contemporary, street, and modern dance combined with dark humour and a moral tale is your thing, then this is a show for you. It can still viewed at www.youtube.com.  Just search for Fracture Theatre…. you’ll be hooked.