Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a curiously big ballet hit

This wildly entertaining adaptation of the famous Lewis Carroll book is an extraordinary mix of commercial showbiz and ballet. 

Brilliantly put together by The Australian Ballet in a production where everyone from the orchestra pit to the dancers on stage are  clearly having fun, the only sad thing for Sydney is that its run at the Capitol Theatre is so short.

It only runs until March 5 – so our advice is storm the box office now! And if that fails, go and see it in Melbourne.

The Cheshire cat, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts chasing her tarts – you know the story, but this ballet production has a wonderfully fresh take on it all.

The sets are clever in taking you down the rabbit hole and into another dimension that even AI would never be able to figure out.

The Cast

Sharni Spencer plays Alice in what must be a gruelling but captivating dance. The rest of the cast are a delight, with Brett Chynoweth playing Lewis Carroll and the White Rabbit.

If you want to relive some of the mayhem of the show, here’s a snatch of the  synopsis Carroll fans will recognise: “Three gardeners are painting the Queen’s rosebushes red after mistakenly planting white roses which the Queen loathes.

“The Queen arrives and sees their error ordering the gardeners executed. The Duchess and the Queen play a game of croquet with flamingos for mallets and hedgehogs for balls. The Queen accuses the Duchess of cheating and orders her to be executed.

“The Knave is discovered and brought to court to face trial. As wonderland’s inhabitants give their evidence, the court descends into mayhem, and Alice makes an impassioned speech admitting she stole the tarts, and that the Knave is innocent. The Queen is unmoved and seizes an axe, chasing Alice and the Knave.”

Best 9 things to do in Sydney at night

You know how the story ends – and if you don’t, I’m not going to issue a spoiler alert.

We heartily commend this ballet show as one to watch for fun, and to marvel that such a historic story can be brought to life in spectacular fashion.

Dress up – most of the audience at the night we went did!

Capitol Theatre until March 5. 

For more information, click here

Related
Sunset Boulevard makes its debut at Sydney Opera House in August 2024.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is coming to Sydney Opera House

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-winning musical, Sunset Boulevard, will begin its debut season at the Sydney Opera House this month. From Wednesday, August 28, Sydney’s most iconic venue will welcome the dazzling production for the first time. Transforming the Joan Sutherland ... Read more
SoCal Neutral Bay is offering all-you-can-eat fajitas on Fridays.

This North Sydney bar is doing all-you-can-eat fajitas every Friday

Head to the other side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge every Friday for all-you-can-eat fajitas. You could even score some free tacos as well. Popular Neutral Bay bar SoCal is set to make taco night much more affordable (and fun) ... Read more
David Beckham with tattoos

Why David Beckham could be banned from these Sydney night clubs

Sydney is known as one of the most relaxed cities to club in, but there are still some rules you have to abide by. And one is a big surprise: some clubs’ dress codes. This means our city’s clubs would ... Read more
Saint Peter has reopened at the Grand National Hotel

Josh Niland reopens his world-famous Saint Peter in the Grand National Hotel

Saint Peter, a constant presence on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list each year, has reopened after moving down the road from its original Paddington location. Josh Niland’s ode to fin-to-scale sustainably caught seafood has fast become one of Sydney’s ... Read more

1 thought on “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a curiously big ballet hit”

Comments are closed.