Alice

A captivating and moving WW1 story of the real-life Alice in Wonderland, told through imaginative puppetry & music

1915. Bombs rain down. Sheltering in her dusty cellar, Alice rediscovers her past amongst old lamp shades & moth-eaten christening gowns. Her son Alan, a WW1 soldier, makes the same imaginary journey down the rabbit hole to escape the madness of war, returning them both to a wonderland of talking rabbits, mad hatters & savage queens. Suitable for all 11+ .

Starring Jack Parker (War Horse, A Dog’s Heart) & Mandy Travis (Little Angel Theatre, Les Miserables).

After three periods of Research & Development at English Touring Theatre, The Egg Theatre in Bath and Salisbury Playhouse, and a premiere at Suspense London Puppetry Festival 2013 Alice toured across the UK for 12 weeks in 2014.

Supported by Arts Council England, English Touring Theatre, Egg Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, Garrick Theatre Club, Exeter Arts Council & Wiltshire Council.

CAST & CREW

CREATIVES

Adaptor & Director | Poppy Burton-Morgan
Designer | William Reynolds
Puppetry Designer | Yvonne Stone
Composer | Filipe Gomes

CAST

Alice | Mandy Travis
Alan | Jack Parker

PRODUCTION

Stage Manager | Alexandra Anzemberger

GALLERY

REVIEWS

★★★★ ‘Metta Theatre are creating a little bit of magic…Mandy Travis is a delight…beautiful puppetry…stunning use of object manipulation…transforming the ordinary to the remarkable…poignant and bewitchingly magical.’ - Mary Halton in Exeunt

★★★★ ‘Extraordinary…both magical and a little disturbing…brilliantly designed… this brief hour will stay with me for a long time, the sadness and strangeness echoing.’ - Libby Purves in Theatre Cat

★★★★ ‘Charming and imaginative, Alice intriguingly portrays the madness of war alongside the madness of
imaginations.’ - Intermission Bristol

‘magical and moving…atmospheric and poignant’ - Natasha Tripney in The Stage

‘Almost unbearably moving…Jack Parker’s Captain Hargreaves is the perfect posh-voiced son and soldier and Mandy Travis just amazing as Alice with a vocal range that is astounding. Poppy Burton-Morgan has made something very special in this Alice, brought together with the help of William Reynolds’ design and lighting, the puppetry design of Yvonne Stone and a carefully matched sound score and some lovely music by Filipe Gomes.’ - Howard Loxton in British Theatre Guide

‘both poignant and playful… The production can be measured by its success at exploring issues from warfare to madness through the seemingly innocent and fantastical medium of puppetry.’ - Bristol 247

‘a production which confidently straddles light and dark, innocence and experience…sophisticated and intelligent storytelling…imaginatively re-defining what conventional puppetry looks like…Metta Theatre are experts at storytelling, carefully constructing an atmosphere in which shifts in tone can glide into one another, taking the audience on a journey which feels bespoke.’- Tutku Barbaros in The F-Word

‘charming and inventive…Poppy Burton-Morgan combines the surreal fantasy world created by Carroll with the real-life stories of Alice and Alan Hargreaves to great effect…an imaginative, enchanting piece of theatre that is highly recommended.’ - Anna Micham in Western Morning News

‘excellent acting…incredible puppetry…The beauty of the puppetry is that it seems so spontaneous…Alice is a delightfully original adaptation of a well-known classic that will impress fans of historical dramas, children’s literature and everything in between.’ - Melissa Taylor in In Suffolk

‘intriguing…tender…a thought-provoking tale’ - Lesley Anslow in The Bury Free Press

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

‘Fantastic. Thank You!’

‘Brill performance. I don’t like Alice usually but loved the concept of the show’

‘Very atmospheric. I felt like I was in a WW1 bomb shelter.’

‘Entrancing staging. Sense of wonder and magic – much like from the Alicer story’

‘The puppets are amazing! Fab acting by both, great soundworld, amazing set!’