It's quite refreshing going into a musical knowing very little about it. While Wonderland may be based on stories by Lewis Carroll that are world-renowned, I knew nothing about this particular version of Alice's journey, other than it is fairly new but has already fared well in the US, with Tony and Grammy Awards being thrown at it along with a whole heap of critical acclaim.
With a modern musical twist on the original tale, we are immediately introduced to our heroine, on the 'Worst Day', where Alice treats the audience to a lament of everything going wrong in her life. The vocal talent of our Alice, Rachel Wooding, is extraordinary right from the word go, as she belts out this opening number, standing in front of a towering block of flats, one of the interchangeable screens that make up the versatile set. She drew me into her world, which was ironic since it's that very world she is desperate to get away from.
After meeting her far-too-clever teenage daughter, Ellie (Naomi Morris) and smitten neighbour Jack (Stephen Webb) it's not long before we are following them and the White Rabbit (a brilliantly leporine Dave Willetts) down the rabbit hole, or rather, into the broken lift. It is when we reach Wonderland that the show really comes into its own, with a feast of colour and sound for the senses.
With a cast of familiar characters from the tyrannical pantomime villain Queen of Hearts (Wendi Peters of Corrie fame), to the self-proclaimed dandy of a Cheshire Cat and everyone in between, it's difficult to say who, if anyone, shines brighter than the rest. If I had to choose a stand-out performance I would say that Natalie McQueen's portrayal of the Mad Hatter is phenomenal; her sultry, sexy 'through-the-looking-glass' version of herself was absolutely spell-binding. As was the 'Advice from a Caterpillar' given by a silken-voiced Kayi Ushe and his bespectacled, short-clad four pairs of ladies legs. It's a sight to behold and one that is pretty difficult to describe, as you can tell. One of my favourite numbers (there were a few) was when Jack appeared through the looking glass having shrugged off his former, quiet, shy self and become the hero that he always knew was within. His alter-ego is a boyband singer, circa 1998, joined neatly by four 'knights' to perform a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek number that had the audience in the palm of his hand.
With a company that works beautifully and tightly together, creating a flow of events that almost makes sense of a world of madness, this show is a treat for the eyes and ears. As the audience filed out at the end of the show, strains of 'Through the Looking Glass' could be heard rippling across the crowd. While it may be a new show on the scene, it already feels like a modern classic.