Press Release: The Royal Ballet - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

[Jan McNulty]

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

By Christopher Wheeldon

15 March - 13 April

 

In March, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland makes a welcome return to Covent Garden for the third time in as many years. Christopher Wheeldon’s spectacular production showcases a menagerie of colourful characters including an anxious White Rabbit, a terrifying Red Queen, a tap-dancing Mad Hatter and a diabolical Duchess. Set to Joby Talbot’s lively score, with a scenario written
by Nicholas Wright, the audience are taken on Alice’s bizarre journey through Wonderland, as she sails across a lake of tears, attends a deranged tea party and watches a croquet game played with flamingos and hedgehogs. Five times Tony Award winner
Bob Crowley’s quirkily inventive designs, including the famously grinning Cheshire Cat and an exotic Caterpillar draw on breathtaking puppetry and projections to bring to life the colourful world waiting at the bottom of the rabbit hole.

This large scale production shows off the talents of the full corps de ballet, and offers the chance to watch Principal dancers in the lead roles, including Lauren Cuthbertson who will once again dance the title role created for her in 2011. At the heart of the ballet is Wheeldon’s compelling choreography, with moments of tender pas de deux created for Aliceand Jack, the gardener’s boy who later becomes her Knave of Hearts. In the final act, the haughty Queen of Hearts steals the show with a hilarious ‘Tart Adage’,
a send up of the classic Rose Adagio that keen ballet-goers will recognise from The Sleeping Beauty.

This Season, for the first time ever, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be broadcast live on 28^th March from the stage at Covent Garden to cinemas across the United Kingdom and internationally, allowing the widest audience yet to enjoy the spectacle of this
brilliantly realised, original ballet. Please see cinema.roh.org.uk for further details.

 

 

[MrsBBB]

Good to hear that Lauren's return is confirmed in the press release

[GTL]

"In the final act, the haughty Queen of Hearts steals the show with a hilarious ‘Tart Adage’, 

a send up of the classic Rose Adagio that keen ballet-goers will recognise from The Sleeping Beauty."

I can't help feeling that putting this in a press release (the ROH, that is, not Janet) rather spoils the fun. A send-up works better when the audience discover it for themselves rather than having it sign-posted for them.