Review: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
By Emily Hatwell
Durham Opera Ensemble delivered an excellent performance of Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. With Todd coming from Durham, this seemed like a fitting choice for the Ensemble’s annual fully-staged production. The production had a professional slick that came from the evidently well-rehearsed scenes and excellent vocal talent from the entire cast. This truly presented the Assembly Rooms at their very best, with lighting bedecked with floral decoration.
The opera covered the normal plot (if you can call it that) of Carroll’s novel, with all the eccentricities of the story being captured and exaggerated in a pleasing manner by the medium, enhanced by Maggie Gottlieb’s words. Each musical phrase served to bring on something new for Alice to interact with, and each bizarre event was then subsequently surpassed by the next in both scale and humour.
The set dressing was an especially strong element from a technical standpoint (co-designed by Libby Simpson and Eva Ryan)
The set dressing was an especially strong element from a technical standpoint (co-designed by Libby Simpson and Eva Ryan). Having a larger-than-life book in the background was already fitting, but the turning of the pages throughout to reveal paintings to fit with the current scene brought it to another level with both its thoughtfulness and creativity, constructed by Sarah Richardson, Veritas Dubik and Becky Hale. Along with that, the oversize toadstools, hanging florals, and bunting suspended from the flies added to the other-worldly feel of Wonderland.
Eleanor Brown led as the titular Alice, and did so with an appropriate level of childish curiosity, petulance, and confusion. It is needless to say, but her vocals were truly stunning. Singing to the standard that she did with the amount of energetic movement was incredibly impressive. Supporting her as the White Rabbit was Sammy Jarvis, that acted as a guide to Alice occasionally, thought perhaps not a very helpful one. Jarvis’ vocals were similarly a delight to listen to.
In the wider cast, it is near impossible to pick out any particular standouts, as the entire company performed with beautiful vocals, strong acting, and energetic movement. Francesca Fitton as the Cheshire Cat was appropriately charming while being a little off-putting, and again delivered excellent singing that came as a rule with this cast. Additionally, Keira Barrett as the Bottle and the Duchess gave one of the best vocal performances, which was a very high bar to clear. Ash Marshall as the Dad and Queen of Hearts acted with an almost pantomime-esque air that perfectly fit the quirkiness of the story and bolstered the humorous side of the production.
Amanda Cross-Court demonstrated a mature and careful approach to direction
Amanda Cross-Court demonstrated a mature and careful approach to direction. While the performance was fittingly high-energy, it never slipped into the tacky territory of slapstick. Helming such a large production would already have been an impressive feat, but to do so with Cross-Court’s skill brought that to another level. Everything from the actors’ blocking to the complex array of technical aspects to the performance came to be with a smooth efficiency.
The production could not have been as great as it was without the band, which utilised the Assembly Rooms’ orchestra pit to its full potential. With Zac Smith as musical director, the band came together to bring Todd’s jazz-inspired score to life with, similarly to the vocal performances of the actors, with panache. The exuberance of the actors on stage was carried over to the instrumental performances below, with the conduction perfectly timing the cues, which assisted in the comedic timing of many scenes. Though, at times the band was at such a volume that singing could not be heard, particularly during a solo sections.
Overall, as an audience-member, I could have not asked for a better evening. Any technical, creative, or performance-based aspect was evidently done with careful consideration and expertise. Durham Opera Ensemble’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was sharp and snappy, combining and elevating some of the best examples of Durham’s student theatre.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is running at the Assembly Rooms until Saturday 28th February. Get your tickets here.
Image: DOE via @durhamopera on Instagram.
