Lights of London Productions with Golden Payment Films presents One Day in Wonderland, adapted for stage and screen by Darrie Gardner from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
A musical story for children, this takes a familiar tale – and one which has many adaptations preceding it – but makes it accessible to new viewers and comfortable to those who know everything about Alice.
Dayo Ade is an absolutely charming Alice, with both the spirit of adventure and a pleasant singing voice. She interacts well with the special effects and animations (by Alec Simmons) which keep this tale moving along.
A sweet and up to date version of a classic, this One Day in Wonderland pitches itself more at the younger age groups, and the eight-strong cast (Ade, Michael J Ansley, Gardner (a strong Red Queen), Paul D Stephenson, Sarah J Warren, Rob Maynard, Iain Gibbons and Ian Renshaw) handle the absurdity of their roles perfectly.
Special mention should go to Stephenson’s Cheshire Cat, Gibbons’s White Rabbit, and Ansley’s Mad Hatter/Caterpillar, and to the light-hearted atmosphere that is created throughout this production.
I admired the inventive ideas on display here and the attention to detail which kept this show entertaining throughout. With a more modern take on the speech, children are bound to feel more involved as the plot unfolds.
One Day in Wonderland played at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2022, as part of a digital tour (Brighton, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne). There are plans to show it at further festivals in 2023 and in children’s hospitals.
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