Originally penned by Lewis Caroll in 1865, the children’s classic Alice in Wonderland is Geoff Aymer’s fifth Christmas show adaptation for Theatre Peckham. Previous productions have all been brilliantly written so we knew that an entertaining few hours lay ahead.
It’s Christmas Eve and Alice is out shopping with her older brother. In a generation obsessed with ‘likes’ and ‘subscribes’ social media is under scrutiny. Alice, 13, takes to the extreme and threatens to go on hunger strike because her beloved phone has been confiscated by her brother.
Leading lady Carma Hylton (watch our interview on YouTube), who you might recognise from CBBC’s The Dumping Ground, plays Alice. Reimagined in Peckham, Aymer’s adaptation stays pretty close to the original tale. Alice inadvertently goes through a door which transports her to a magical wonderland encountering the usual suspects including the queen of hearts (Oscar Sinclair) and her minions, a cheshire cat, a mad hatter and plenty of fun, lively, family friendly characters along the way as she desperately tries to find someone who has a mobile phone so she can return home. Such devices are reserved only for very special people, however.
Albeit with a cultural and colourful spin, the key plot elements are still there, too – the mad hatter’s tea party, stealing food from the queen of hearts, a giant game of chess etc. There’s also the usual audience interaction and call and response. Oh, yes there is. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be called on stage to join the chess game, my daughter was quick off the mark and put her hand up straightaway when it was suggested.
Particularly from my 11-year-old, the dancing was a real highlight. Under Theatre Peckham’s artistic director Suzann McLean, what truly brings this festive show to life are the incredible performances from Theatre Peckham’s Academy – with ages ranging from 9-16, across the board, their talent was impressive and bold for their tender years. The vocals from all of the actors were excellent, too – bravo!
Our favourite character with the Cheshire Cat and his winning smile – the coolest feline we’ve seen on stage in a long time a played with aplomb by Siphiwo Mahlentle.
At its heart, this is a story about community as Alice learns on her journey of self-discovery – what’s really important in life. Not connecting digitally but real life, human interactions but this is all conveyed in a relatable way through humour and reggae, r&b and soul inspired songs via Jordon Xavier’s musical composition, Ben Christopher’s musical direction and superb choreography by Lamar Francis-Douglas.
Theatre Peckham have delivered a fabulous show which brings scene after scene of infectious joy and community vibes– we loved it.
NEED TO KNOW: Alice in Wonderland runs until 23 Dec 2025 at Theatre Peckham
