Hellooo! I'm trying to get back into writing for my blog at the moment and I thought I'd use my trip to Wonderland as an opportunity to
kick myself back into it! By Wonderland I mean the amazing musical based off of Alice in Wonderland! I've wanted to see it for a while and in an amazing coincidence, Wonderland was in Grimsby while I went back home over the weekend! I went to the evening performance on Saturday which I'm pretty sure was their last performance in the town with Rachael Wooding guest starring as Alice.
I went into it without knowing much about it and assuming it was Alice in Wonderland: The Musical. I'd just seen the advert for it and thought it looked like something I'd enjoy but it was so much more! Wonderland has a live orchestra but sadly, as Grimsby Auditorium doesn't have an orchestra pit, they were tucked away in a room on the balcony.
All the classic Alice in Wonderland characters are there - the White Rabbit, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat and the rest of the iconic Wonderland creatures. All the characters are so unique and I love how they're all so different both visually and personality wise yet they work well together. This interpretation of the story shows Alice all grown up in the modern day hung up on her ex-husband, living with her daughter Ellie. The beginning shows her (literally) grey world falling apart before she's taken to the world of bright colours and talking animals.
As for the music, there are a few jazzy, swing tracks along with some catchy, poppier songs and of course some classic musical theatre numbers. There really is something for everyone! I particularly love the song Alice and the Mad Hatter sing, I think it's called This Is Who I Am! The harmonies between the two women (yes the Mad Hatter is a woman!) are incredible and the song is so powerful and captures the message of the show perfectly. I'm always blown away by the voices that the actors and actresses have and this was no exception! The talent on the stage throughout all the cast was incredible!
On the way home, I had an online search for the soundtrack and was overjoyed to find there was one! However later, after more research, I found that the soundtrack was from the American version of the show and that the version that is currently touring throughout the UK has been updated and has different songs to that soundtrack. On the bright side, the Wonderland website has a couple of the new tracks playing in the background so I'm keeping everything crossed that they'll bring a new soundtrack out soon!
Now I LOVE Wicked so so much and I never thought that anything would come close to it but Wonderland is right up there with it for me! Although there's plenty of comedy throughout the show, there's a running theme of finding/being yourself. It's such a moving musical and I would recommend it to anyone without a shadow of a doubt. I'm now going to go and book myself a ticket to one of the Manchester shows so I can relive it again!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
Plot Twist: The music in the background of the website is from the old soundtrack... Sad times...
