Review: ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Brixton House

Alice In Wonderland? More like Alice Goes Underground as Poltergeist Productions’ take on the Lewis Carroll classic sees our heroine trapped on a London tube train.

After arguing with her mother, Alice jumps onto a carriage and is transported into a strangely familiar territory. A furtive rabbit is only the first of the strange creatures she meets. Director and lead writer Jack Bradfield keeps us on our toes by twisting the original characters this way and that. There’s no Queen of Hearts - the antagonist here is the train’s driver Queen of Lines who arrives on a throne fashioned in the shape of a Transport for London roundel and is determined to keep everyone “on track” as they continue on their endless journey. 

Tweedledee and Tweedledum are now goalkeeping twins Dee and Dum, there’s no Mock Turtle but there is a tortoise and the Mad Hatter is now Chatter, the ex-driver who has lost her confidence but - with the help of Rat, Pigeon and an anthropomorphic Nose - hopes to regain her position. The Cheshire Cat is now the Chesham Cat, one of the many, many puns and allusions to Underground stations and lines. Commuters wander by, mute blindfolded zombies with stares perma-fixed on their phones. There are additional characters too that fit in with the theme: the Queen’s enforcer Hammersmith is memorably portrayed as a bulky man in a pink body stocking with a huge hammer slung over one shoulder and a squeaky voice. 

There’s energy and pace aplenty and the panto-esque script is bouncy and lively. Seeing this crazy upside-down world through the eyes of the rapping 11-year-old Alice (Tatenda Matsvai) is a sparky ride with an engaging ensemble (Cheyenne Dasri, Gavin Dunn, Rosa Garland and Will Spence) taking on multiple roles around her. Dasri is particularly affecting as the stressed mother and the haughty Queen determined to defeat Alice and the rebellion against her. 

The set design from Shankho Chaudhuri is a winner here. Tube seats on stage act as the main fixed props with signs around the hall adding cheeky twists to Underground favourites. Rajiv Pattani’s lighting design adds real depth to the scarier sections alongside the spooky sounds composed by Alice Boyd.

Bradfield’s script has some lovely touches but it becomes more uneven the further we travel into his re-imagined world. The darker elements have more than a few nods to Bong Joon-ho’s 2013 film Snowpiercer and are delivered with more impact than the lighter ones, something which may make this less suitable for younger children but more of a thrill for teens. There is a tonal imbalance throughout with some pure horror scenes alongside casual japery and witty conversations.

The sparky acting skips over the plotholes and veering so far from the original book may leave some junior fans confused.  Adults, meanwhile, may find the puns becoming very tiresome after a while and there is definitely a case here for “less is more”. 

Alice In Wonderland continues at Brixton House until 4 January 2025.

Photo credit: Helen Murray

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