The Alice in Wonderland performance is a new and creative twist on the classic and well loved story. The performance was put on by the Birmingham Ormiston Academy which is a performing arts academy in Birmingham. All of the cast of the show are incredibly talented and will have great futures if their performances in Alice in wonderland show their true potential. Every acting member of the performance is as they would say in theatre a ‘triple threat:’ they all sang, danced, and acted beautifully. 

The story of the piece follows an adult Alice retelling the story of wonderland to her three daughters Annie, Emily, and Lottie who prior to their encounter in wonderland hate ‘nonsense stories.’ By the end of the performance, the girls are completely changed for the better and now love the stories they used to hate. The story teaches the girls that everything in life does not have to have a point, some things can simply just be fun!

The whole Alice in Wonderland experience was incredibly fun and easy to follow. The performance provides an opportunity to simply sit back, relax and become immersed in the show leaving you with no desires to think about anything else. The cast are vibrant and full of life and their outstanding performances leave you feeling that you could truly have been to wonderland. 

The set and costume design is outstanding, and you can clearly see that each character’s costume has been well thought out to suit their dynamic.  My personal favourite was the Queen of Hearts costume because it was just so fun and suited the character perfectly. I also loved Alice’s costume as it paid homage to the classic Alice whilst still being age appropriate to the older mother Alice. The three daughters’ costumes were also spot on for the characters, as they were simple and related to each other whilst still giving each character their own personality. 

The set design was absolutely ingenious, the idea to create a set that looked like the inner workings of the white rabbit’s pocket watch was such a unique and fitting idea. Every set used during the performance was a high standard and suited the use, which definitely enhanced the performance.

The show starts with an energetic song that sets the rest of the tone for the performance, a tone that is definitely followed. All of the songs were mesmerising to watch due to the pure energy provided and the array of colour on the stage from the various costumes.  Solo songs and group songs were equally as great with each actor having a powerful and unique voice. 

The characters of Mad Hatter and March Hare were acted perfectly. I honestly do not think they could have done a better job at portraying the mad and energetic characters. Every time they were on stage, they were full of energy and always funny. 

I loved how some of the characters came down the stairways where the audience were sitting to get to the stage during various scenes of the performance. I personally believe that it was a lovely touch as it gave the audience an opportunity to feel part of the performance. 

Overall, I would thoroughly suggest that if you are provided with the opportunity to go and see the performance of Alice in Wonderland by the BOA students. It is a great way to spend a short period of your time, watching these young rising stars acting at the start of their careers. 

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