Curiouser and Curiouser.............

Sometimes, it's nice to take a leap of faith and, on a whim, go for something you've never tried before; and that was certainly the case with this show. In a way, it is fitting as just like our heroes literally jumping into an unknown world, as last night, I, along with my best mate Emma, went along to the first night of the Manchester run of Wonderland, a fairly recent musical by Frank Wildhorn (also behind the musical adaptations of Jekyll and Hyde and Bonnie and Clyde), Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd which is inspired by the Lewis Carroll classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

This was a musical neither of us had ever heard of before, but as we are both big fans of the fantasy genre, we thought we might as well give it a try.

I say loosely as this adaptation is set in present day, and this Alice is a just-turned-40 former writer and schoolteacher who, after receiving news that her ex-husband is getting re-married (and also losing her job), decides she no longer wants to live in the real world - and then the White Rabbit pops up! Along with her teenage daughter Ellie and neighbour Jack, Alice heads down the rabbit hole and what follows an adventure to stop the tyrannical Queen of Hearts and the bonkers Mad Hatter.

This is the first time the piece has been performed in Europe, having been work-shopped across the US, and runs in New York (where it ran on Broadway for just a month after receiving mostly negative reviews) and Tokyo, and it has a new adaptation by Ava Eldred, to fit British audiences, and from what I heard, is very different to the original - however, I will not go into all that now. However, what I will say is that after only a 2 month run prior to arriving in Manchester, this production is already the longest-running production of Wonderland thus far.

Wonderland certainly looks bright and colourful, from the sets to the costumes. The favourite seemed to be Natalie McQueen's Mad Hatter (yes, in this version the Hatter is female and (at one point) villainous) after she went through the Looking Glass. In fact, Emma told me more than once she wanted that outfit =P

Speaking of McQueen, I did enjoy her Hatter, though I wished she stayed evil a little bit longer than
she was - she was a lot more fun evil than not. And boy can she belt! Another one who I thought was a little bit underused was Wendi Peter's Queen of Hearts. She had a huge stage presence and was hilarious; she was just sadly not on stage long enough. The show also provided a few laughs from the Looking Glass' quips, and mostly from Naomi Harris' Ellie. The performance of the night, she did a fantastic job of playing (post Looking Glass anyway) a stroppy teenager. Finally, I need to mention the incomparable Kerry Ellis, who vocally, fitted the role of Alice like a dream, as it features a lot of belting - something she's very good at =P
It was also very nice to see her in a properly staged production, rather than just a concert appearance.

On to the songs, and, honestly, they fitted Wonderland quite well. A little goofy, cheesy and.... well... bonkers. Incorporating different musical styles, from the standard MT, to others sounding like pop songs. Jack (played by Stephen Webb) and his band's very cheesy number One Knight did heavily remind me of Jersey Boys (and imagine my surprise when I found Webb was a former Tommy DeVito!). The only problem was that, other than The Mad Hatter, I didn't think Wonderland really has an ear-worm in its repertoire. A Defying Gravity there is unfortunately not.

Now, as I am saying that, I am not saying Wonderland is terrible - don't jump to conclusions people. If you are a fan of fantasy stories like Alice and want something fun and a little bit silly, this is for you. It will give you a good night out, and I did enjoy it. I am saying though that I am not jumping up and down as if it is the best thing since sliced bread. Or perhaps jam tarts.......