Wonderland

Image Source: Liverpool Echo

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Comedy
Genre: Musical
Date: June 12 2017
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Wonderland merges the stories of Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass, as well as adding some additional elements of its own, to create a story which aims to capture the imagination of children and adults alike.

In Wonderland, Alice (Kerry Ellis) is now 40-years-old, but her 40th birthday is hardly an occasion worth celebrating, as she is fired from her job. Upset at this, and disillusioned about her (unseen) husband leaving her years before, she and her daughter Ellie (Naomi Morris) both agree that they wish they could escape the real world and change their lives completely. That's when they get a visit from the mysterious White Rabbit (Dave Willett) who manages to transport them and their friend Jack (Stephen Webb), who comes on the scene almost by accident but who soon falls in love with Alice.

Wonderland, as the name (and the original stories which inspired this show) suggests, is a wild and wacky place full of amazing scenery, bizarre characters and an experience which embraces the weird and wonderful. It isn't perfect, though, because the Mad Hatter (Michelle Pentecost) lives up to her name and is bonkers as she looks to abuse her level of power, second only to the dictatorship of the Queen Of Hearts (Wendi Peters), whose desire to chop people's heads off is second only to her love of jam tarts. Alice, Ellie and Jack quickly adore their new surroundings, but only by jumping through the Looking Glass can they truly become a part of Wonderland. This becomes a struggle for Alice, who is 50/50 about taking the leap, but even on the other side, struggles with the Mad Hatter and the Queen Of Hearts await, which puts them not only in a position where they may not be able to leave Wonderland, but whether they can survive in their new surroundings.

There are plenty of musical moments throughout the show, with more than a dozen original songs. However, it's the vocal performances rather than the songs themselves which I felt stood out. In particular, Kayi Ushe (who plays the Caterpillar) is a stunning singer, as he proves when performing Advice From A Caterpillar, and Wendi Peters reminds us about her range of skills during performances of Hail The Queen and Off With Their Heads. The likes of Kerry Ellis and Naomi Morris also perform their songs well, but it was their acting, comedic timing and ability to jump between facial expressions, moods and tones which made them perfect candidates to play Alice and Ellie respectively.

I really liked the costumes; everyone from White Rabbit to Caterpillar to the Mad Hatter looks larger than life, off-the-wall and as colourful and extravagant as you could imagine, which should keep the kids interested as the characters which they will only have previously read about leap off the pages and take control of the stage in front of them. The scenery was largely kept simple but ensured that we were truly transported into Wonderland, the best part being the super-sized Looking Glass, which even spoke (via a voiceover from John Finnemore)! Lastly, the lighting was very colourful, changing between moods and scenes, and seamlessly helping to capture the emotions of the moments on stage at specific points of the show.

In terms of downsides, I felt that the story was occasionally hard to follow; the entrance into Wonderland is obvious, but whilst longtime fans of Alice will know that it's coming, the desire to return home isn't acknowledged until very late in the show, meaning that the show sometimes feels like it has no direction during the second half. Plus, it took me a few minutes into Act II to realise that we were watching the "new" Alice via her jump into the Looking Glass (sorry for the spoiler), and Jack's involvement seemed a bit random in the early going. Although there's plenty of over-the-top characters, I'm not sure if the feelings of magic and fantasy are strong enough to capture the minds of those children who will have never seen Alice before; I think that for the kids, they would have to know the stories of Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass to truly appreciate this production, rather than approaching it with no prior knowledge of Alice and her past adventures. Nevertheless, none of these have a major effect on one's enjoyment of the show.

Summing it up, then, Wonderland is a satisfying and entertaining night of family theatre with a combination of colourful characters, crazy story arcs, eye-catching costumes, stunning lighting and strong performances, all of which makes it a fine option to take the young 'uns along to this summer.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

Theatre Interview: Wendi Peters: "Wonderland Is A Fabulous Musical"

Image Source:
What's On TV

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass are two of the most popular fantasy stories for children and families as a whole. Now, Wonderland: The Musical brings both to life, along with some unique twists, ensuring an exciting night for all. To find out more, we spoke to Wendi Peters, who plays the Queen Of Hearts in the upcoming show at Liverpool Empire.

To begin with, tell us about Wonderland, and your character Queen Of Hearts.

Wonderland: The Musical is basically a mixture of Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass. It's both novels combined, but then you add into it a brilliant score by a Broadway composer called Frank Wildhorn, and the whole thing becomes a fabulous musical.

I play the Queen Of Hearts, who of course is bonkers, she goes around cutting everybody's heads off and she eats a lot of jam tarts. The difference with our Wonderland show, though, is that we've gone forward a few years; Alice is nearly 40, she has a daughter, and it's the daughter who ends up going down into Wonderland first, followed by Alice. So, the show is all about both of their journeys through Wonderland, where they meet all of these characters and find themselves at the end of it.

You have appeared in a huge number of theatre shows down the years. What drew you to become a performer on stage?

When I was little, I did the usual things like going to ballet class as little girls do, and doing plays at school too, as well as going to dance festivals and going to see shows. I'm originally from Blackburn, so my mum used to take me to see a lot of the shows at the Palace in Manchester. So, seeing it all happen, I thought "I'd like to do that!"

What would you consider to be the most memorable theatre shows that you have performed in to date?

There's so many! One of my first leading roles in the early '90s was Red Riding Hood. For me, that was the break from being in the ensemble to getting a lead role. That was very memorable, and I had a wonderful time. As far as recent years: I did a play a couple of years ago at the Parks Theatre in London. It was a cast of eight, and we just got on so well as a group; we all shared one dressing room, it was a brilliant experience, and we still see each other every couple of months to catch up.

Are there any theatrical roles which you would be particularly interested in?

Musical-wise, there are two that are on my list that hopefully, fingers crossed, I might get to do in the next ten years. I'd love to play Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and I'd love to play Rose in Gypsy.

You're also famous for playing Cilla Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street. What were some of your favourite scenes from your time on the soap, and could you see yourself returning to the show one day?

Erm, who knows about the returning. I went back a couple of years ago just for a few weeks, to help out with Jenny McAlpine leaving. I don't know about returning again; I'm really happy doing everything that I'm doing now, but never say never. Someday if they come up with a really good storyline that they want me to be a part of, I'd be happy to go back.

As for memorable moments: people always say to me about the dog jumping in the bath and us going through the ceiling, which was fun. But I liked it when Cilla was a bit more serious and really evil. Those were the scenes that I always got the most out of.

You've appeared on other television shows, such as Celebrity Masterchef in 2009. How did you find that experience?

It was one of my favourites. One of my favourite things that I've done, and also one of the hardest things that I've done, because it was six weeks of just thinking about food, getting recipes together, practicing and filming. But it was a great experience, and I learned so much.

Would you be interested in participating in other television shows in the future?

My rule for reality shows is that I have to be learning something. I did The Sewing Bee, I did Masterchef; it's that learning skill for me. If there's something that I really want to learn and I can get that opportunity, I do it. I'm not one of those who's happy to be just sitting around and chatting in realities!

Finally, what should the Liverpool audience expect from Wonderland?

They can expect a fabulous evening of fun. It looks spectacular as the lighting is amazing, the songs are phenomenal, and they are for all of the family, from seven-year-olds through to grandparents. It's a real mixture of rock and pop through musical theatre, and there's a bit of classical too. There's something in it for everybody.

Wonderland will play the Liverpool Empire from Monday June 12 to Saturday June 17. To book your tickets, click here.