Rebecca A Withey: Review of Derby Theatre’s production of Alice In Wonderland (BSL)

For those of you who know the classic story of Alice in Wonderland, there’s no denying that it really is quite odd. There’s the strange storyline, the larger than life characters and the surrealism of it all too. One couldn’t help but wonder how Derby Theatre would portray such a story on stage.

Arriving at the theatre, the Alice in Wonderland magic was abound – and not only on the stage. Signs depicting ‘eat me’ and ‘drink me’ were displayed by the refreshments and special Wonderland themed ice creams were available for purchase as well as white rabbit ears too.

There were ‘selfie’ opportunities where one could step into the shoes of the Queen of Hearts and the foyer area was decorated in pure Wonderland style with artificial grass, bunting and picnic areas. It was truly lovely.

Settling down to watch the show, the stage looked absolutely stunning, a triumph by set designer Emily Bestow. A huge garden slide was placed at the side and the audience could watch as Alice (and her cat Dinah) arrived, and slid all the way down into Wonderland, a delightfully playful tool which reminded us of how young and innocent Alice really is.

As the plot began to unfold, we saw how writer Nicola Werenowska centred her story around a naive BSL-using Alice who found herself in a land where BSL was forbidden – a rule that Alice felt determined to change.

Director Sarah Brigham brought the story to life along with Associate Director Lilac Yosiphon, and we were introduced to deaf actors Rhiannon May in the title role of Alice, Brooklyn Melvin who played the Queen’s son Jack, as well as EJ Raymond and Caroline Parker who played a variety of roles.

Rhiannon May’s depiction of Alice was a youthful, energetic one and she especially shone in the scenes that involved dance and movement. The influence of Movement Director Raffie Julien was clearly evident here and something that I would have loved to have seen more of.

Whilst the Queen of Hearts was a character I was personally terrified of as a child, April Nerissa Hudson’s version was much more timid and closer to that of a Diva, as she looked truly fabulous at every opportunity.

Brooklyn Melvin’s role of Jack was a new one, and offered an interesting  backstory to the Queen’s decision for banning BSL – she wanted her deaf son to be the same as everyone else and wanted to control the world he was exposed to.

I found it a little odd that despite the Queen banning BSL, Jack still openly uses sign language, with other characters repeatedly throwing signs in too.

Threats of ‘off with your head’ were also repeatedly ordered but never followed through and so it seemed that this version of the Queen lacked the kind of power that has you quaking in your boots. In actual fact, nobody really seemed afraid of her at all.

Other characters were also less visually strong than we know them to be. The charismatic Cheshire Cat (Dominic Rye) was confusingly not dressed anything like a cat nor did their mannerisms depict the mischevious, taunting attitude this character is known for.

The White Rabbit (Rhiannon Hopkins) also appeared strangely confident and assured, a far cry from the anxious clock-watching rabbit we are typically used to seeing.

The depiction of the caterpillar however – played by Chioma Uma – was truly fabulous and very synonymous with the traditional caterpillar. A lush, long blue feather boa carried by four actors portrayed the swaying motion of the caterpillar, with the actors all signing in unison, in a hypnotic mesmerising manner.

I also absolutely loved watching EJ Raymond in their various roles. Their talent for switching characters and embodying different physicalities and movements was superb. I feel as though EJ is an incredibly versatile actor.

Caroline Parker was also notably enjoyable in her roles as the Duchess and Dodo. She has a dance like motion in her movements which worked especially well in the scenes where Alice is travelling through space and also when performing to music.

The Mad Hatter (Naomi Gray) and Alice’s sidekick Dina (Becky Barry) added a great deal of exuberant, quirky energy to the production too.

The signed song scenes were my favourite parts of the show, with my only regret being that they didn’t employ more musical numbers throughout!

Access wise, I must commend Derby Theatre for the seamlessly integrated BSL and the creative captions which were spot on. I did not notice any time delays and felt up to speed with the entire show, which is no easy feat!

On the whole, Derby Theatre’s production of Alice in Wonderland is aptly quite bizarre but with real nuggets of magic that the whole family can enjoy.

Get your tickets quick if you fancy going to Wonderland – the show is running until 6th July in Derby!

For more details or to book tickets see here. 

If you would like a review of a show, film or arts event please contact Rebecca on rebecca@rawithey.com