Alice's Adventures in WonderlandOpening Date: Dec 5, 2005
Closing Date: Jan 14, 2006 Air date: tv - 2006; online - Dec 21, 2020 - Jan 31, 2021 Medium: tv, online Where to watch: Scenesaver, DVD (UK only) |
Stage Production Notes
A new musical version of the timeless classic takes you down the rabbit hole with Alice to a land of zany adventures, where nothing is as it seems. Presented by British company Chickenshed.
Founded in 1974, Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company based in North London. The name comes from the company’s beginnings, when they began rehearsing in a reclaimed chicken shed. Chickenshed’s mission is to “construct an environment where the creative process is totally inclusive and where all members have equal importance.”
In addition to fully-staged performances, Chickenshed provides Further and Higher Education training for young people from “from all social and economic backgrounds, cultures and abilities.” According to Chickenshed, two-thirds of their students would not normally qualify for entry to tertiary education, and through their programs, nearly all students go on to achieve a nationally recognized qualification.
For the 2005 Christmas season, Chickenshed presented a new musical version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The production drew largely from Lewis Carroll’s text, with original musical by David Carey, Jo Collins, Simon Cooper, Sam Fuser-Burnett, Paul Morrall, Paula Rees, Gemma Rubinstein, and Iain Whitmore.
Previews began on November 30 at The Rayne Theatre at Chicken Shed. The musical officially opened on December 5, 2005. It was billed as “family entertainment at its best,” with sign language integrated into all performances.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was performed by four different casts in rotation, Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue, with each show featuring a cast of 151 performers and 10 musicians.
The Stage review noted “What is almost awe-inspiring is the smoothness with which a huge cast, including dozens of children, are in the right place at the right time.” The Stage also praised the show for its “brilliant assemblage of the key episodes” and “non-stop barrage of sensations and wonder.”
A cast album produced by Chicken Shed Records, and featuring 15 tracks from the show, was was released in 2005.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland closed on January 14, 2006.
A new musical version of the timeless classic takes you down the rabbit hole with Alice to a land of zany adventures, where nothing is as it seems. Presented by British company Chickenshed.
Founded in 1974, Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company based in North London. The name comes from the company’s beginnings, when they began rehearsing in a reclaimed chicken shed. Chickenshed’s mission is to “construct an environment where the creative process is totally inclusive and where all members have equal importance.”
In addition to fully-staged performances, Chickenshed provides Further and Higher Education training for young people from “from all social and economic backgrounds, cultures and abilities.” According to Chickenshed, two-thirds of their students would not normally qualify for entry to tertiary education, and through their programs, nearly all students go on to achieve a nationally recognized qualification.
For the 2005 Christmas season, Chickenshed presented a new musical version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The production drew largely from Lewis Carroll’s text, with original musical by David Carey, Jo Collins, Simon Cooper, Sam Fuser-Burnett, Paul Morrall, Paula Rees, Gemma Rubinstein, and Iain Whitmore.
Previews began on November 30 at The Rayne Theatre at Chicken Shed. The musical officially opened on December 5, 2005. It was billed as “family entertainment at its best,” with sign language integrated into all performances.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was performed by four different casts in rotation, Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue, with each show featuring a cast of 151 performers and 10 musicians.
The Stage review noted “What is almost awe-inspiring is the smoothness with which a huge cast, including dozens of children, are in the right place at the right time.” The Stage also praised the show for its “brilliant assemblage of the key episodes” and “non-stop barrage of sensations and wonder.”
A cast album produced by Chicken Shed Records, and featuring 15 tracks from the show, was was released in 2005.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland closed on January 14, 2006.
Filmed Production Notes
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was filmed for television towards the end of its run by Liberty Bell and Sky, and aired on the Sky channels Artsworld and Sky Three in 2006.
The partnership with Sky was part of the company’s outreach program “Make It Big,” which saw an investment of £1million over three years to enable Chicken Shed Theatre to “develop a national presence and build for the future.”
The capture received a limited DVD release and was advertised as “true to the manuscript and embellished with wonderful original songs and musical with the total integration of sign language… it is a unique experience captured beautifully on this DVD.”
In response to the ongoing pandemic, in December 2020 Chickenshed released Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for free on YouTube. At the time of writing, the musical had received over 2700 views. The musical was available between December 21, 2020 and January 31, 2021. The musical was also made available on theatre streaming site Scenesaver.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was filmed for television towards the end of its run by Liberty Bell and Sky, and aired on the Sky channels Artsworld and Sky Three in 2006.
The partnership with Sky was part of the company’s outreach program “Make It Big,” which saw an investment of £1million over three years to enable Chicken Shed Theatre to “develop a national presence and build for the future.”
The capture received a limited DVD release and was advertised as “true to the manuscript and embellished with wonderful original songs and musical with the total integration of sign language… it is a unique experience captured beautifully on this DVD.”
In response to the ongoing pandemic, in December 2020 Chickenshed released Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for free on YouTube. At the time of writing, the musical had received over 2700 views. The musical was available between December 21, 2020 and January 31, 2021. The musical was also made available on theatre streaming site Scenesaver.
“When the whole company is on stage – as in the trial scene at the end – the sheer theatrical vibrance makes it uplifting and the short solos linked by supporting chorus owe something to Gilbert and Sullivan.
And then there’s the diversity and inclusivity, so much a part of Chickenshed modus operandi that you barely notice it. Everything and everybody is part of the whole and totally integrated into the action. It’s hugely energetic. I defy you to watch it without feeling both moved and excited.” Susan Elkin, Musical Theatre Review
The stream, or in critic John Chapman’s words “freestream”, was well received by reviewers. They praised the Kevin Dunne’s visually stunning and clever set, Graham Hollick sumptuous costume design, and the excellent work of the large ensemble.
Mersa Auda writing for The Up Coming described the musical as “a real feast for the eyes” and summarized “Though this is perhaps not the ideal introduction to the classic, it is overall a fun, lively and ambitious production that ticks plenty of boxes and will likely entertain many a family during the festive period.” John Chapman also noted the incredible size of the cast and praised the work of the directors and musical directors to keep it all together. Susan Elkin writing for Musical Theatre Review also praised the music as “zippy and tuneful” and “often witty”.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is available to stream for free on Scenesaver.
Mersa Auda writing for The Up Coming described the musical as “a real feast for the eyes” and summarized “Though this is perhaps not the ideal introduction to the classic, it is overall a fun, lively and ambitious production that ticks plenty of boxes and will likely entertain many a family during the festive period.” John Chapman also noted the incredible size of the cast and praised the work of the directors and musical directors to keep it all together. Susan Elkin writing for Musical Theatre Review also praised the music as “zippy and tuneful” and “often witty”.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is available to stream for free on Scenesaver.
Learn more about Chickenshed and the filming of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on episode 22 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast with guest Susan Jamson. Available on all podcast apps.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: The Rayne Theatre at Chicken Shed
Producer: Chickenshed, James Hunt
Music and Words: Lewis Carroll, David Carey, Jo Collins, Simon Cooper, Sam Fuster-Burnett, Paul Morrall, Paula Rees, Gemma Rubinstein, Iain Whitmore
Director: Christine Niering, Louise Perry, Mary Ward; Film: Jon Woods
Musical Director: David Carey, Jo Collins
Sign Language Director: Charlotte Moulton-Thomas
Sign-Language Coordinator: Michelle Manzi
Choreography: Christine Niering
Scenic Design: Keith Dunne
Costume Design: Graham Hollick
Make-Up Design: Silver Bramham
Lighting Design: James Whiteside
Sound Design: Francis Haines
Stage Manager: Zeeta Jacobs
Theatre: The Rayne Theatre at Chicken Shed
Producer: Chickenshed, James Hunt
Music and Words: Lewis Carroll, David Carey, Jo Collins, Simon Cooper, Sam Fuster-Burnett, Paul Morrall, Paula Rees, Gemma Rubinstein, Iain Whitmore
Director: Christine Niering, Louise Perry, Mary Ward; Film: Jon Woods
Musical Director: David Carey, Jo Collins
Sign Language Director: Charlotte Moulton-Thomas
Sign-Language Coordinator: Michelle Manzi
Choreography: Christine Niering
Scenic Design: Keith Dunne
Costume Design: Graham Hollick
Make-Up Design: Silver Bramham
Lighting Design: James Whiteside
Sound Design: Francis Haines
Stage Manager: Zeeta Jacobs
Cast:
Belinda McGuirk (Alice Liddell) Charlie Kemp (The Rev’d Charles Dodgson, The Dodo) Andrew Joannou (Canon Robinson Duckworth, The Duck) Lucy Harris (Lorinda Liddell, The Lory) Michelle Little (Edith Liddell, The Eaglet) Gavin May (The White Rabit) Dina Williams (The Mouse), Louise Rein (The Chief Furble) Jo Collins (Voice of The Caterpillar) Gemma Rubinstein (The Caterpillar, Gryphon) Rebecca Byrne (Furble, Hotpotch) Sarah Lefevre (Furble) Andrew Wells (Furble, Hotpotch) Verity Butcher (Caterpillar) Jamie Demetriou (Caterpillar, Commis Chef) Dominic Garfield (Caterpillar, Commis Chef) Holly Jones (Caterpillar) Stacey McKnight (Caterpillar) Alev Yilmaz (Caterpillar) Kayleigh Mitcham (Caterpillar) Laura Rojas (Caterpillar) Orla Gill (Footman, Suit - Diamonds) Jelena Budimir (The Duchess) Nigel Spurgeon (The Cook) Andy Taylor (Commis Chef) Loren Jacobs (The Chesire Cat) Peter Dowse (The Mad Hatter) Mark Lees (The March Hare) Joseph Morton (The Queen of Hearts) Adam Ketman (The King of Hearts) |
Josie Rossouw (Card 2, Suit - Hearts) Michael Demetriou (Card 5, Suit - Spades) Kiran Filby (Card 7) Brendan Walsh (The Knave of Hearts) Jacqui Kirkland (Joker) Emma Trevette (Joker) Greg Williams (The Mock Turtle) Emma Cambridge (Gryphon) Gina Giles (The Fossil) Rebecca Allen (Feathered Friend) Laura Bender (Feathered Friend) Raffy Benjamin (Feathered Friend) Geoffrey Boud (Feathered Friend) Michael Hagan (Feathered Friend) Zoe Kennedy (Feathered Friend) William Kramer (Feathered Friend) Fabienne Magliore Oliver (Feathered Friend) Ciara Mohamed (Feathered Friend) Cassandra Molson (Feathered Friend) Leonard Paei (Feathered Friend) Stephanie Press (Feathered Friend) Ju-Li Pryor (Feathered Friend) Darren Smith (Feathered Friend) Debbie Stutely (Feathered Friend) Shadi Talaghani (Feathered Friend) Freya Young (Feathered Friend) Zak Benjamin (Furble) Eleanor Byrne (Furble) Megan Byrne (Furble) Katrina Cullets (Furble) Diambote Diloma (Furble) Alexander Gladstone (Furble) Paul Glasman (Furble) |
Nadia Hamilton (Furble) Gary Jenkins (Furble) Andrew Lefevre (Furble) Ruth Littlejohn (Furble) Rebecca Longman (Furble) Naomi Lyne (Furble) Aimee Magloire Oliver (Furble) Christina Picton (Furble) Scarlett Serlin (Furble) Zana Sherabayani (Furble) Kaoruko Shirasaki (Furble) Jacqueline Smith (Furble) Emily Spiers (Furble) Amy Strover (Furble) Sarah Vidowsky (Furble) Louis Walkdeta (Furble) Richard Woolf (Furble) Charlotte Crisford (Hotpotch) Amy Golden (Hotpotch) Jessica Hardie (Hotpotch) Chloe Hyman (Hotpotch) Ailsa MacKenzie (Hotpotch) Nina Nsonwu (Hotpotch) Tessy Reimann (Hotpotch) Monica Riley (Hotpotch) George Rossouw (Hotpotch) Harriett Rossouw (Hotpotch) Roshni Shah (Hotpotch) Charlie Williams (Hotpotch) Emily Zarza (Hotpotch) Lucy Zarza (Hotpotch) Matilda Zarza (Hotpotch) Ardit Alihahaj (Suit - Hearts) Tomislav Pavlinic (Suit - Hearts) Stefan Filby (Suit - Hearts) Perihan Alcicek (Suit - Hearts) Natasha Colleemallay (Suit - Hearts) James Riley (Suit - Hearts) Yasmin Ehssina (Suit - Hearts) Alexander Douglas (Suit - Hearts) George Jennings (Suit - Hearts) David Bender (Suit - Clubs) Bryony Hartropp (Suit - Clubs) |
Rory Spiers (Suit - Clubs) Clive Boxall (Suit - Clubs) Aisling Hayes (Suit - Clubs) Yossi Goodlink (Suit - Clubs) Chidimma Oluonye (Suit - Clubs) Nathan Lyne (Suit - Clubs) Danielle Martin (Suit - Clubs) Ben Clairmonte (Suit - Clubs) Jem Mann (Suit - Diamonds) Zoe Foord (Suit - Diamonds) Katie Flexman (Suit - Diamonds) Laurie Jennings (Suit - Diamonds) Kailey Doku (Suit - Diamonds) Pralathan Sivagnanam (Suit - Diamonds) Tom Rose (Suit - Diamonds) Charlie Hampshire (Suit - Diamonds) Costa Elia (Suit - Diamonds) Sarah Young (Suit - Diamonds) Tom Eaton (Suit - Diamonds) Sara Haines (Suit - Spades) Craig Turney (Suit - Spades) Max Milner (Suit - Spades) Ross Faulkner (Suit - Spades) Rosie Morris (Suit - Spades) Kiran Filby (Suit - Spades) Katy Carter (Suit - Spades) Antonion Iannacobe (Suit - Spades) Hannah Barnett (Suit - Spades) Louis Holliday (Suit - Spades) Danyle Morris (Suit - Spades) Fiona Gladstone (Anemone) Elizabeth Mann (Anemone) Charlotte Lee (Clam) |
Paddy Spier (Clam) Sarah Barnard (Limpet) Adam Filby (Limpet) Blathazar Magloire-Oliver (Limpet) Connor Glasman (Oyster) Ottilie Kark (Oyster) Mealnie Azizollah (Pearl) Francesca Holliday (Pebble) Rebecca Vasey (Pebble) Hannah Woolf (Pebble) Christan Greaves (Seaweed) Joseph Hartropp (Seaweed, Footman) |
Band
Jo Collins (Keyboard)
Gemma Rubinstein (Keyboard)
David Carey (Keyboard)
Iain Whitmore (Bass)
Sam Fuster-Burnett (Guitar)
Owen Parker (Guitar)
Liz Kitchen (Drums & Percussion)
Simon Cooper (Drums & Percussion)
Julian Marc Stringle (Clarinet/Saxophone)
Mark Crooks (Clarinet/Saxophone)
Jo Collins (Keyboard)
Gemma Rubinstein (Keyboard)
David Carey (Keyboard)
Iain Whitmore (Bass)
Sam Fuster-Burnett (Guitar)
Owen Parker (Guitar)
Liz Kitchen (Drums & Percussion)
Simon Cooper (Drums & Percussion)
Julian Marc Stringle (Clarinet/Saxophone)
Mark Crooks (Clarinet/Saxophone)
Sources
Books/Publications
Articles
Websites
- British Sky Broadcasting Group, Sky Corporate Responsibility Review 2005–06, (2006), Accessed via: http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/104016/CSR/BSY_CSR_2006.pdf
- Chickenshed, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Programme,” Accessed via: https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=e26671a4-7836-44c3-be4d-1a4b33e146bd
Articles
- Mersa Auda, “Chickenshed: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Online,” The Up Coming (Dec 22, 2020)
- John Chapman, “‘Nice to see them letting their hair down’: ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND – Chickenshed Theatre,” My Theatre Mates (Dec 24, 2020)
- Emma Clarendon, “REVIEW: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chickenshed Theatre (Online),” Love London Love Culture (Jan 22, 2021)
- Susan Elkin, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Chickenshed Theatre” Musical Theatre Review (Dec 27, 2020)
- Marys ap Rhys, “ONLINE THEATRE REVIEW: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - Chickenshed Theatre, London.” Number 9 Reviews (Dec 22, 2020)
- Uncredited, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” The Stage (Dec 8, 2005)
Websites
- Brodie Sound, “Credits,” Accessed via: https://www.brodiesound.com/credits/
- Cast Albums, “ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland > Original Cast,” Accessed via: http://castalbums.org/recordings/Alices-Adventures-in-Wonderland-2005-Original-Cast/18816
- Chickenshed, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Watch on our YouTube channel,” Accessed via: https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/Event/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-youtube-premiere
- Indie London, “Join Alice in Wonderland,” Accessed via: http://www.indielondon.co.uk/theatre/t_alicein_wonderland_rayne_prev.html
- PicClick UK, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Rare DVD (2006) Chicken Shed Theatre Company,” Accessed via: https://picclick.co.uk/Alice%E2%80%99s-Adventures-In-Wonderland-Rare-DVD-2006Sky-Chicken-124523123569.html
- Scenesaver, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Accessed via: https://www.scenesaver.co.uk/production/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-2/
- With Dreaming Eyes of Wonder, “Film TV and Media Chronological List: Adaptation List: Faithful adaptations (Film, TV, radio and other media),” Accessed via: https://withdreamingeyesofwonder.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Written by Luisa Lyons (January, 2021)