Review: WONDERLAND, King's Theatre, Glasgow

Alice no longer wants to live in the real world. Having just turned 40, gotten divorced, lost her job and struggling to take care of teenage daughter, it's not exactly going well for her. Alice and her daughter Ellie follow the White Rabbit into Wonderland in search of something better than reality.

Rachael Wooding makes for the perfect leading lady as Alice. Her comedic timing is excellent and her crystal clear vocals are stunning. It is difficult to single out performances when the entire cast is of such high calibre but special mention has to go to Francesca Lara Gordon as Mad Hatter. She has arguably two of the best songs in the show, "I Will Prevail" and a duet with Rachael Wooding "This Is Who I Am" which is just outstanding. As the Queen of Hearts Wendi Peters has disappointingly little stage time but has a presence like no other and delivers a phenomenal performance.

The staging of Wonderland is a spectacle. Andrew Riley's set design is beautiful and Grace Smart's costume design is wonderful. While I suspect this production has been scaled down slightly from larger touring venues it has a big impact and a West End feel.

While this isn't exactly highbrow theatre and some elements have been accused of being panto-esque (though I fail to see why that's a bad thing) Wonderland is completely bonkers and absolutely brilliant- guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Wonderland runs at the King's Theatre until Saturday 8th July.