Review: Alice in Wonderland

Every evening this week Trinity was transformed into a wonder filled, other-worldy tea party, a parallel version of Oxford; lanterns in the trees, overgrown bluebells and playing-card bunting.

The Trinity Players made every effort to drag their audience into Wonderland with them. Offered tea and jam tarts, as well as Pimms, it felt almost as though we were part of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

This immersive feeling was enhanced when Alice’s sisters, Lorina and Edith (Rebecca Newman and Priya Manwaring) came and sat next to me in the audience, grumbling, in character, about Alice being late for their party… a party the entire audience was a part of.

At times the distinction between Wonderland and the ‘real world’ wasn’t clear, especially as most actors played two roles. But maybe I’m missing the point – the clever blending of the two recreated the sensation of experiencing the world as perceived by Alice.

The imaginative staging made for an abstract performance; the single table was used as a punt, a court room and a tea table. A particular highlight was the Mad Hatter’s tea party. This was hilarious to watch – but was really necessary for Michael Roderick to sing Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Little Star three times?

The acting was of a high quality, particularly by Alice’s mother (Lucy Rands), the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit (George Ferguson), and the ability of all the characters to stay in role while interacting with the audience throughout the play and interval was particularly impressive.

Even the players handing out tea and blankets seemed to belong to Victorian society. This unique and entertaining evening, lost in the beautiful Trinity Gardens, proved the perfect setting for this magical play.