Alice in the Underground is a rock and roll musical loosely based on Alice in wonderland, following 14 year old Londoner Alice as she escapes the “River Bank” estate in a quest for love. The production was made and performed at the Chickenshed Theatre and was originally performed in 2003 as part of the 40th anniversary of the venue.
The cast are technically on point. The music and harmonies are flawless and performed with full commitment and joy. It is not only the music which is technically striking, break dancing White Rabbit Gavin May gives a highly skilled performance that impresses the audience and fills the stage with his energy. In fact it is very hard to not be infected by the energy of all the performers throughout the show.
Lyrics are written by Director Chris Bond, they are cheesy and verging on the cliche, however this provides much of the comedy in the show and as this light hearted production does not take itself too seriously they fit the style very well. The parallels it provides with characters we see in London are fairly stereotypical but at moments still poignant and as we are seeing London through the eyes of a 14 year old they make sense for the show.
Rachel Yates who plays Carol Lewis, Alice’s mum, adds real depth to the show whilst she looks for her lost daughter, making the production even more touching. The neighbours played by Liz Kitchen and Ian Whitmore are a treat of a comical duo, playing characters we have all come across in our day to day lives.
This production has a giant overflowing heart. If you want to be entertained and have your spirits lifted it’s a must see. I would also encourage audience members initially put off by the journey to Cockfosters to leave zones one and two and make the trip to this welcoming venue! 4/5
Review written by Lucy Bishop.
Alice on the Underground is currently showing at the Chickenshed Theatre until Saturday 25th October. For more information on the production, visit here…
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