REVIEW: Wonderland at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Wonderland is a visual delight, with an epic rabbit hole lit by ever-changing neon lights and the set, costumes and chorus choreography making the perfect canvas for this updating of the classic tale.
Here Alice is a single mum, struggling to cope with being left by her husband, and looking for a man to save her from her woes.
This part of the production is overtired, as although there is much joy in the show, the theme of women finding themselves is laid on so thick that the rabbit hole is practically filled in with cement.
But, if you can forgive the obvious nature of the story again and again and again – honestly, this is not revelatory stuff – there is much to be said for this show. Catchy numbers, catchy staging, and even a catchy romance between the Hatter and the Hare.
Unfortunately I couldn’t catch most of the words sung by Alice (Rachael Wooding), and very few of those spoken by her daughter Ellie (Naomi Morris) as the speed, volume and diction in delivery didn’t quite come together for my ears. But it’s definitely worth seeing for the languid caterpillar played by Kayi Ushe, with four chorus members providing extra legs, the additional characters, and the awesome set.