DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE INTO THE SUBLIME:
THIS IS BALLET GONE DELICIOUSLY MAD
Venerated displays of creativity can have the most innocent of beginnings. But in the case of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, accomplishing the astronomically exceptional may have been the end goal all along in 2011. That’s when London’s Royal Ballet first performed its full-length commissioned dance composition based on Lewis Carroll’s 1865 children’s classic, Alice in Wonderland. The ballet adaptation, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was co-commissioned by the National Ballet of Canada. By recruiting contemporary ballet choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who just this year won the Olivier Award for best theatre choreographer to complement his two Tony awards, developers locked in the talents of a formidable powerhouse. Joining him was Wheeldon’s frequent collaborator and equally gifted craftsman, composer Joby Talbot. Together, with a team of innovative visionaries, they created the spectacle of delight currently being performed by the Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House. A triumphant close to a record-breaking season.
Xavier Núñez, Stefan Gonçalvez, Amanda Assucena, and Hyuma Kiyosawa
Ensemble
The first American ballet company to showcase Wheeldon’s Wonderland vision, Joffrey’s production seems to have immediately melded into the fabric and character of this esteemed dance troupe. During its premier performance Thursday night, the audience was instantly mesmerized by the merger of spectacular choreography, superlative dance and the wizardry of revolutionary stagecraft that makes this Wonderland so radiant. And rarely has music been employed so brilliantly to enrich the ethos and spirit of a narrative dance endeavor. Through this dense creative amalgam, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland engages the imaginations of people across age groups and every other demographic divide. Adhering closely to the sense of the fantastical that runs rampant in Carroll’s novel, this Wonderland expands its reach by weaving in contemporary references and comedic touches that afford modern audiences extremely relaxed and thrilling entry into the story’s world. Also of note, this Alice is not a child, but a teenager on the cusp of moving into a new stage of life and susceptible to the subtle siren call of romance.
Stefan Gonçalvez and Amanda Assucena
Amanda Assucena
It’s a brew ripe with potential that’s plumbed magnificently in this rendition of a modern-day showpiece. Bob Crowley’s sumptuous scenic design opens with a look of peaceful rustic opulence before plunging into a whirlwind of whimsy and fantasy. Some of the characters would eventually disappear, some would change form and one, Alice, would remain herself as she travels through an incredible dreamscape after falling head over heels down the rabbit hole.
Amanda Assucena, Fernando Duarte, Lindy Mesmer, and Edson Barbosa
Victoria Jaiani, Dylan Gutierrez, and The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble
What’s clear and frankly amazing from the very beginning is the tight synergy between movement, music and plot. Running approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes with two intermissions, every second in Alice is finely calibrated and precisely synchronized. Every gesture, note, and leap fit together like a finely crafted living machine whose efficiency is a work of wonder.
Victoria Jaiani, José Pablo Castro Cuevas and Joffrey Ballet Ensemble
Amanda Assucena and Alberto Velazquez
In a story where speech is performed through dance, Alice is often alone on stage portraying a rainbow of emotions through the flow of her body. Mr. Talbot’s exquisite shape shifting score and an array of dazzling special effects ably assist her in the effort. The Lyric Opera Orchestra, under the direction of Scott Speck with guest conductor Robert McConnell, sustains the sublime every second of the performance. John Driscoll and Gemma Carrington’s projection designs add powerful dynamism to her adventure’s impact by beautifully ratcheting up its dramatic resonance. The magic of 21st-century puppetry spellbind in the second act preceding the Mad Hatters Ball when Alice encounters an imposingly beautiful and unusually serpentine Cheshire cat. Talbot’s music is just as mysterious and exotic as the cat itself whose great size and loosely segmented body twists and glides through space with the agile grace of a tiger.
Victoria Jaiani and Amanda Assucena
Ensemble
Just as in the first act, in both the second and third there are interludes, small oases of group dance where the skill of Joffrey dancers and the beauty of Wheeldon’s choreographic intuition are given the fullness of the limelight. It’s an opportunity to revel in how well contemporary ballet complements and completes the panorama of dance expression comprising our current era. Wheeldon has long proven himself a master of adapting ballet to modern sensibilities and in Alice that gift shines as bright as a starburst. The dance capsules also provide an extended opportunity to absorb the splendor of Crowley’s costume designs; as noteworthy for the luxuriousness of their materials as they are for their imaginative excitement.
Stefan Goncalvez
Ensemble
An irascible and petulant diva, the Red Queen has a penchant for calling her subjects to be executed for the smallest slight. But despite her quick temper and aloof demeanor, under the right circumstances and despite herself, she can end up being slap stick funny. All while executing dance moves that are the hallmarks of a prima ballerina. Just as it accommodates the folly of grand pretentions, Wheeldon’s Wonderland also reveals age old and universal truths about human behavior. When Alice’s love interest the Knave is brought to trial to face the axe, wonderland’s citizens are all too eager to sacrifice him to save themselves. Fortunately, fairytales being fairytales, dire consequences are not a worry and the uplift derived from grand spectacle and transformative music prevails.
With productions in London and Tokyo as well as Chicago, June will see 40 performances of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland across the globe. With an additional weekend included in Joffrey’s schedule, 14 of them will be held at the Lyric, giving Chicagoans greater opportunity to witness the marvels of dance and theater merging to create their own unforgettable brand of incomparable entertainment.
photos by Cheryl Mann
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Joffrey Ballet
Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive
ends on June 22, 2025
for tickets, visit Joffrey
for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago
