Alice In Wonderland

Kids are strange, hey.

As a non-parent, this seemingly obvious fact has taken its time to reach me, but it’s finally landed thanks to borrowing two or three nippers whenever there’s some kid-focused theatre to review.

This time the production is Alice In Wonderland, and the favourite part for nipper number two was Alice’s cat. That’s a furry white blob in this production that takes no active part in the proceedings. It doesn’t manifest itself as a funky purple haze like the Cheshire Cat that Alice meets during her adventures. It doesn’t do anything at all, really, apart from make a brief appearance on Alice’s lap before she meets the White Rabbit and disappears down the rabbit hole.

Forget the pretty whirling lights as Alice tumbles into Wonderland. Forget the Mad Hatter and the equally dippy March Hare having an eternal 6pm tea party. Forget the daft race run in a circle, or the copious tears from Alice that are cleverly represented by a band of blue material to create a sea of sorrow. Even the funky Queen of Hearts who struts her stuff to some lively music doesn’t impress nipper number two as much as a fake, inactive cat.

Still, that counts as a definite victory for this production of Alice in Wonderland adapted from Lewis Carroll’s children’s book by VR Theatrical.

My own favourite character was the hookah-smoking caterpillar, blowing plumes of smoke through his nose as he imperiously hands Alice a mushroom to eat to change her size. Academic analysis of Carroll’s story has suggested he wasn’t on drugs himself, and the caterpillar is merely giving Alice advice on being adaptable to her environment rather than trying to get here hooked on magic mushrooms.

But there’s no time here for the adult pursuit of searching for deeper meaning or contemplating the nuances of the story as we swing from one scene to the next with gleeful jollity.

The long and character-filled original tale has been condensed to last just over an hour, retaining the core of essential characters and layering it with some chirpy South African flavour.

The cast of four keeps the kids and adults alike entertained with their enthusiasm, amusing antics and breezy behaviour as they take on multiple roles.

All the actors have lots to commend them, with Danny Meaker revealing a dry, wry humour, Leti Ndubane glamming it up as the Queen of Hearts, Sandi Dlangalala bringing charm and different accents to his roles, and Gugu Dhlamini as Alice winning us over with her bright-eyed enthusiasm and engaging clarity of speech.

It’s a small-scale production set against a brightly painted backdrop, with non-stop activities more than making up for the bare-essentials of supporting props.

Director Neka da Costa has everyone romping along merrily and makes good use of the aisle to bring to the action out to the audience from time to time, keeping the kids more engaged by the close proximity. The result is a fun and lively show full of colourful costumes, witty lines, music and enough charm to delight even the oddest nippers.

Alice in Wonderland runs at Montecasino’s Studio Theatre until March 22. Tickets from Computicket.  Photos by Christiaan Kotze.