By Tim Saunders
A fabulous showcase of over 50 local youngsters in Alice, A Musical Adventure In Wonderland, make for an extremely memorable pantomime from MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton.
There’s so much to make you smile in this production from Director and Adaptor Jacqueline Ockwell, who has created a wonderful show for all the family. Bright costumes and popular songs such as True Colors, cleverly adapted to the Alice theme further lift this production to another level.
There is not one Alice but three and their harmonious voices are excellent. The joy of this Alice for me is that it is not a traditional pantomime but an intelligent adaptation of a much loved story yet with a modern twist. Pantomimes can be guilty of being a little over the top, bawdy and the older I get I find the music can be too loud. This production is none of that, you could take your Gran to this and she’ll wax lyrical about it afterwards. My son Henry (6) watches wide-eyed, only once sliding off his chair, just before the interval. For the cast to be able to hold the attention of such a little person throughout is really quite an achievement, especially these days when attention spans are shorter. Bear in mind that not one of the cast is famous yet… but each and every one has such strong stage presence. The dancing is fabulous and takes me back to a time when I ventured onto the dance floor. The production flows beautifully and the scene changes seamlessly become part of the performance. Harriett (11), Heidi (9) and I enjoy the humorous word play. “He’s a tortoise because he taught us…. I’m a hatter so I’ve got lots of hats…. Rap it Mr Rabbit….”
My wife Caroline says, “I really enjoy seeing the actors enjoying themselves.” Suffice to say, we’re impressed.
It’s really heartening to see such strong performances from youngsters. We feel alive and upbeat. The future of theatre is that bit more secure thanks to MAST. Your Christmas will be more enjoyable if you watch this, that’s for sure.
Until December 31
