Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Composer: Talbot, Joby

Ballet Company: Royal Ballet, Covent Garden

Choreographer: Wheeldon, Christopher

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Alice: Cuthbertson, Lauren

Father / The King of Hearts: Saunders, Christopher

Jack / The Knave of Hearts: Bonelli, Federico

Lewis Carroll / The White Rabbit: Hay, James

Magician / The Mad Hatter: McRae, Steven

Mother / The Queen of Hearts: Morera, Laura

Rajah / The Caterpillar: Montano, Fernando

The Cook: McNally, Kristen

The Duchess: Avis, Gary

Verger / The Dormouse: Pajdak, Romany

Vicar / The March Hare: Kay, Paul

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Orchestra: Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden

Conductor: Kessels, Koen

Lighting Designer: Katz, Natasha

Set Designer: Crowley, Bob

Costumer Designer: Crowley, Bob

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Date of Production: 2017

Venue: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London

Playing Time: 02:06:23

Catalogue Number: OA1269D

UPC: 809478012696

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Royal Ballet Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon magically captured the twists and turns of Lewis Carroll's classic story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in his 2011 ballet. Bob Crowley's vivid sets and costumes take us down the rabbit hole into a colourful world full of curious creatures and captivating characters. Joby Talbot's original score is full of sweeping melodies and contemporary sounds. Lauren Cuthbertson stars as the inquisitive Alice, with Federico Bonelli as the charming Knave of Hearts, Steven McRae as the tap-dancing Mad Hatter and Laura Morera as the formidable Queen of Hearts. This exuberant and engaging ballet is spectacular entertainment for the whole family.

Joby Talbot's complex, theme-driven score - coruscatingly orchestrated with the help of Christopher Austin - is full of magical surprises. Expertly aided and abetted by lighting guru Natasha Katz, designer Bob Crowley has had an absolute field day too, exploiting every means at his disposal - from puppetry to projection - to send us down the rabbit-hole with the heroine. Wheeldon, meanwhile, absolutely matches his collaborators contributions. This is a ballet that eloquently and respectfully reflects his Royal Ballet heritage (from its three-act structure, reliance on mime, and alternation of grand waltzes and intimate pas de deux, to its very Ashtonian reliance on largely cross-dressing comedy) while nevertheless feeling entirely 21st-century and absolutely its own thing. Together with dramaturge Nicholas Wright, he brings Alice even more to the fore than she is in the book, getting her involved in the action wherever possible, and delving deep into his choreographic box of tricks to bring each of the characters she encounters distinctively alive.