The Mad Hatter's Tea Party: an 'irresistibly feelgood production'
Kate Prince's hip-hop take on the Lewis Carroll classic is 'so much fun'
"This is hip-hop dance, and opera house rules do not apply." That's the message that comes through loud and clear at the start of "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party".
The 10th-anniversary run of ZooNation's staging of "Alice in Wonderland" has returned to the Royal Opera House in London, where it premiered a decade ago. And right from the outset the audience is encouraged to "make as much noise as possible", said Siobhan Murphy in The Stage.
The action begins in the "forbidding" Ward W at Ladrington Brook, a "Institution for Extremely Normal Behaviour", where a "motley collection of inpatients is kept under lock and key". Each of Lewis Carroll's characters has been given a backstory: the White Rabbit, for example, has OCD, while the Mad Hatter is suffering from mercury poisoning.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Choreographer Kate Prince's "clever, anti-authoritarian take on Carroll's surreal world" blends a compassionate approach to mental health with "jubilant showbiz savvy", said Donald Hutera in The Times. Despite its hard-hitting subject matter, the show feels "light rather than heavy, compassionate yet comical".
An "irresistibly feelgood production", it's filled with "ebullient" dancing and a "disarming, beat-driven melange of funk, rap and house". Add to the mix Ben Stones's "wizardly costumes" and you're in for a real "treat".
At times "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party" strays too far into "didactic med- and psych- speak", which is "pushing it" for a show appealing largely to families, said Mark Monahan in The Telegraph. But there's a "poignancy" in the portrayal of the "damaged" inmates, and overall there's "so much fun to be had" that the show can be forgiven for its flaws.
Prince's choreography "works wonders", allowing each performer to "let rip magnificently", and while Act I is "bursting with goodies", the "pacier" Act II is an "undiluted joy". As for the cast, there is "no weak link"; Nethra Menon is a "beguilingly impish" Queen of Hearts, while Isaac Baptiste is a "lively and decidedly charming" Mad Hatter.
As the show draws to a close, the audience is asked whether anyone would like to join the cast on stage and the results are "marvellous". Watching a "tiny boy grooving gleefully with the March Hare spoke volumes about the show's all-enveloping wackiness and warmth".
"The Mad Hatter's Tea Party" is running until 24 September, Royal Opera House, London
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
5 category 5 cartoons about hurricane Helene
Artists take on precarious conditions, planning ahead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Wolfs: 'comedy thriller' stumbles despite George Clooney and Brad Pitt
While the crime caper might 'pleasingly pass a Saturday night' its star-studded duo cannot ultimately salvage it
By The Week UK Published
-
The death of Hassan Nasrallah
In the Spotlight The killing of Hezbollah's leader is 'seismic event' in the conflict igniting in the Middle East
By The Week UK Published
-
Silk Roads at The British Museum: a 'mesmerising' exhibition
The Week Recommends 'Epic' show explores the many routes connecting East and West, through a collection of 'beautiful, unusual, intricate' treasures
By The Week UK Published
-
Sarah Moss picks her favourite books
The Week Recommends The author shares works by Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Wordsworth and Ross Gay
By The Week UK Published
-
TV to watch in October, from 'Disclaimer' and 'The Franchise'
The Week Recommends An HBO comedy from the 'Veep' creator, a mystery from master filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón and a reboot of an '80s classic
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Giant: 'stylishly crafted' Roald Dahl play is 'spectacularly good'
The Week Recommends Mark Rosenblatt's 'fearless' debut examines the character of the controversial children's author
By The Week UK Published
-
The Cabinet Minister: 'sparkling' comedy with a 'satirical sting'
The Week Recommends Nancy Carroll's revival of Arthur Wing Pinero's classic farce is a 'life-affirming triumph'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Movies to watch in October, from 'Joker: Folie à Deux' to 'Saturday Night'
The Week Recommends Joaquin Phoenix as Joker, a new Jason Reitman comedy and a buzzy Palme d'Or winner
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again – 'blistering' documentary 'unfolds like a disaster movie'
The Week Recommends Yariv Mozer's 'visceral' film features mobile phone footage from survivors of Hamas attack
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The best places for a last-minute sunny autumn break
The Week Recommends Escape the chilly weather at these sun-drenched destinations
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published