Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Jenny Runacre, Reaya Sealey, Ashleigh Pacham, Holly Rivers, Mairi Phillips.

There have been so many theories and speculated conjectures surrounding the many possible veiled references to Alice In Wonderland that it enough to make the poor girl’s head spin. Never mind falling down the rabbit hole, occasionally being shoved with the full force of a 1970s Welsh Rugby Union side with no sight anywhere of a very wide cat and it’s cheesy grin leaping forward to break your fall is more akin to anyone who takes on the utterly charming but completely surreal book by Lewis Carroll.

In film, it is hard enough to capture without the backing of millions of pounds in which to bring it to life, in the theatre this book, this classic of English literature and its novel absurdity, is an almost impossible task. So with that in mind the five brave women who took the concept and ran with it in a completely innovative fashion, deserved the absolute generous good feeling given them by the Unity Theatre’s audience.

There can be no doubting it is a hard production to get to grips with, there are moments in which the ferocity of emotion can be consuming, the weaving in and out of the tale, although extremely well written, slightly taken aback by the abundance of complete mayhem in which Lewis Carroll thrived in creating. Unless you are a devotee of the great man’s works, what is going on can play subtle tricks with the mind; you really believe that the way forward is clear and then just like the White Rabbit having a cartoon like nervous breakdown, it is gone.

The five women on stage though gave it their absolute sizzling best and in Holly Rivers and Mairi Phillips there was a lot to admire, not least for the fascinating way the superb Ms. Phillips played with the idea of a bottle of spirits as a physical resemblance of how language is affected under certain stimuli.

Whilst hard going in some places, it shouldn’t detract from the honesty of the piece, nor it’s appeal.

Ian D. Hall