Review: Alice in Wonderland, Fringe 2024

Disclosure: the last time I even went to a Fringe show the world and my world were very different places. I was a hedonistic free and single 20 something spending the early hours of the Edinburgh morning air going to shows like Spank! (WE LOVE IT!, IYKYK) and, well, the less said about the changing landscape we live in these past 15 years the better.

Fast forward to 2024 and I’m just as buzzed to take my five-nearly-six year old to see a production of Alice in Wonderland in theSpace @ Niddry Street. Conveniently, five-nearly-six is also called Alice and was devastated to miss seeing Alice IRL at Disney Paris last year so we’re already winning.

The vibe

The vibe of this show is unrelentingly charmingly curious!

It’s immersive from the second you walk into the small theatre with the characters already in place – we took our seats bare metres from Alice herself – 5 stars from five-nearly-six already!

It’s a young cast from Nardone’s Academy of Performing Arts who are all bursting at the seams with energy and enthusiasm. It’s not a West End theatre production but the cast keep you smiling from beginning to end with their infectious oomph that you end up looking like the Chesire Cat by the time you stumble into the afternoon sunshine 90 minutes later.

The show itself

The intimate setting of Venue 9, theSpace@Niddry Street lends itself well to the whole production. The show takes place on a flat ‘stage’ in the centre of the room with 3 tiered rows of seats on all four sides of the room. You’re never more than a few metres from the action and I had my move myself out of the way a few times of The White Rabbit’s enthusiastic hopping.

The production starts calmly with the residents of Wonderland watching Alice and her sister quietly read a book, day dreaming about leaving childhood behind and become adults.

We were then quickly taken through the doors to Wonderland and there began a cacophony of colour, dance and song while Alice took us on our journey to find The Queen of Hearts and return her stolen Jam Tarts. The parade of the Chesire Cat along with a cavalcade of joviality from Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee were my highlights.

The show was quintessentially Alice in Wonderland and very much did what it said on the tin. We finished back where we started, in Alice’s living room where she had reconsidered her desire to ‘grow up’ and wanted to stay care free, wild, fun and frivolous just that little bit longer. This prompted a lovely chat with five-nearly-six about how much fun being a kid really is.

Overall

Both myself and five-nearly-six had a great time at the performance. There was a mix of all ages but I would recommend more towards the younger end of the 5+ spectrum (albeit the grandparents in attendance were getting fully into the spirit of things too).

It was quirky, fun and just the right length to hold the attention of the younger viewers. I asked five-nearly-six what her favourite part was – “seeing Alice!” – mission complete!

Review by Anna Laing