Wonderland review

"This could be the new Wicked," says my mum. She loves Wicked almost as much as she loves me, possibly even more, so this is a huge compliment...

Wonderland review

This past week, I was lucky enough to see Wonderland not once but twice at my favourite place, yes you guessed it, The Liverpool Empire. I went into this show not knowing much about it as I wanted to be surprised, I knew it would involve some of the most well known story characters but I didn't know what to expect from the story or even what any of the song sounded like.

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite things, ever. There is so much Alice in Wonderland related items in my house you would think I lived in a Disney shop, so to be able to sit for two hours and experience Alice in Wonderland and musical theatre, it's safe to say I was in heaven. This show has definitely now been promoted to one of my top three favourite musicals, EVER!

The story follows Alice and her daughter Ellie who live in a block of flats in London, Alice is recently divorced and looking for a change, and by recently I mean it happened five years ago but she's still not quite over it. After announcing she wants a break from real life, the white rabbit makes this a realty for her and takes her daughter to wonderland, giving her no choice but to follow and save her. Whilst in Wonderland she is forced to make a few changes to help save her daughter and return to the real world. Along the way she meets some of our favourites, such as the March Hare, The Cheshire Cat and of course The Mad Hatter, they all must team together to make Wonderland a safe and relaxed place again.

Both nights I had the privilege of seeing theatre royalty Kerry Ellis as Alice. This was the first time I have ever saw Kerry perform live and I can honestly say it was worth the wait. The way she can hit those unbelievable notes and make it look as easy as breathing was crazy! I found the character of Alice a little bit annoying at first but as the story progressed, I became more accepting of her and by the end of the show felt like if I ever followed a rabbit to a strange place I would want her to come and save me.

The character I felt like I connected to the most on a spiritual level was Alice's daughter Ellie played by Naomi Morris. When she came back through the looking glass I felt like I was watching teenage me on that stage, and by teenage me, I mean me like last year. The sass that came with dungarees was unbelievable and that attitude was just me all over. I hope to see Naomi in more shows in the future, her voice and her acting skills need to be shared with more and more people so she can get the recognition she deserves.

One of the amazing things about this show was the chemistry between the cast. It was obvious that they all got on really well and genuinely cared about each other which made the show enjoyable to watch. I think it's really easy to spot when there's tension between cast members and it can make being in that theatre for two hours quite uncomfortable but there was non of that with this cast. Let's all be best friends? Yeah? No? Okay!

I loved this show so so much and haven't stopped singing the songs since it finished, this show is fun for all of the family and is guaranteed to make you walk away feeling happy! I cannot encourage you to go and see this 'wonderful' show enough! Wonderland will be continuing it's UK tour, with it heading to Dublin for it's next run between 19 and 24 June. To see whether the tour is coming to a theatre near you, check out their official website (www.wonderlandthemusical.com) or follow them on Twitter for updates!

Author

Ashlee Brown

Ashlee Brown Activist

My name is Ashlee, I'm 23 from the North West. I'm an actor and hope to go into a career of TV and Film. My experience with arts award so far has took me on a journey, full of developing new skills and meeting new people. Keep an eye on my profile for blogs on events I attend, reviews and advice!

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2 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 19 June 2017, 10:23 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    What a great modern interpretation of such a classic tale! You're one lucky gal :D

  • Bhavesh Jadva

    On 25 June 2017, 15:23 Bhavesh Jadva Voice Team commented:

    So much fun so jel

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