I’m a huge fan of theatre productions that add a modern twist to well-known stories, making them more relevant to modern audiences. WONDER.LAND, the National Theatre’s collaboration with Daman Albarn (from the 90’s pop group Blur) could be one of these productions, however Lewis Carroll’s original Victorian tale of a girl discovering marvels beneath a rabbit hole barely survives in this digital oriented spectacle.Living in a grey London estate, the main character, Ally (Louis Chimmba) is desperate to find any sort of escape from the bullies at school, problems at home and low self-esteem. Ally runs away to the cyber world, the rabbit hole is the screen of her mobile phone. She joins an online community game “wonder.land” which allows her to create an avatar, a preferable, alternative version of herself.
If none of this adds up the actors aren’t at fault, Louis Chimmba is simply mesmerizing as Ally and Paul Hilton delivers an outstanding performance as the heroine’s dad. One of the strongest scenes in the whole production is The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in which Hilton not only proves he is a great actor, but also a strong singer. His portrayal of an outcast trying to conform to what society expects a dad to be genuinely resonates.
If you are hoping for unforgettable musical theatre songs, you might be disappointed. Lyrics such as ‘’Ally get ready we need to go to the supermarket” are not only not worth remembering, but they also take away from the production.
The incredible digital projections which are the main aspect of the set, although impressive, can only do so much to the context of the piece and after a while they become too obvious. The most captivating moments of the piece are those in which the ensemble uses their performing skills and the “material objects” to create the world around them.
Without a doubt the creators of Wonder.land used their imagination and creativity in order to create a modern and somehow pertinent piece, yet there is a part of me that dares to think that perhaps they didn’t give enough credit to their audience's intelligence.
Not everything has to be literal, digital or obvious in order to stir young people’s imagination.
Aren't we lucky to have the Royal Albert Hall and in such a good state of repair? Heaven only knows how they afford to keep it so lovely but walking in to this magnificent building is always like walking into a fairy tale. You can easily imagine glamorous people from a bygone age strolling through the corridors and it looks particularly gorgeous with strings of Christmas lights around every balcony.