Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is wildly inventive and outrageously entertaining – an instant 21st-century ballet classic. The production enthralled audiences when it premiered in 2011 with its mind-boggling stagecraft, excellent choreography and perfect blend of classical dance and sheer entertainment. Having performed to sold-out houses in Toronto, London, New York City, Los Angeles and Washington DC, the brilliantly theatrical production now comes to Ottawa. The National Ballet of Canada performs Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on April 9-12 at 8 p.m. and April 11-12 at 2 p.m.

 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by the numbers

8 - Number of dancers that make up the Cheshire Cat

9 - Number of 53 foot trucks required to move sets and costumes

32 - Crates of wardrobe, wigs and footwear

71 - Number of people onstage in each performance, including dancers, children and supernumeries

100 - Number of Swarovski crystals on each pair of dyed-blue pointe shoes for the caterpillar’s tail

112 - Dancers, staff and crew on tour

193 - Number of costumes used in each performance

534 - Pointe shoes and footwear shipped

 

British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s iconic novel, brings a fresh, subversive touch to the tale while preserving its surreal vignettes and much-beloved eccentric characters. With witty choreography, extraordinary design, and a shimmering dreamlike score, it’s over-the-top family-friendly theatrical magic. Wheeldon has been aided by an outstanding design team to recreate Alice’s whimsical world with abundant theater savvy and visual panache. Outrageously theatrical sets and elaborate costumes are by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, and breathtaking projections, a mix of stills and animation, by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington. The video projections become part of the action onstage, interacting with the dancers and moving the plot forward. Alice is set to a superbly energetic original score by Joby Talbot.

Alice follows the White Rabbit, jumping into a Jell-o mold and spiralling down, down, down in an impressive feat of hallucinogenic film effects. The dazzling video projections create an illusion of Alice’s magical size-changing transformations to fit through a series of shrinking and expanding doors. This Alice bursts with clever theatrical ideas, such as the Cheshire Cat, a fascinating disjointed formation with floating parts, manipulated by a group of black-clad dancers, and the Blue Caterpillar, a cross between Arabian Nights and the Rockettes. There is also a wonderfully terrifying sausage-making scene in the kitchen of the Duchess, and a bizarre tea party with a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. Act III features a wild croquet game, with flamingo mallets and hedgehogs as croquet balls, and the final scene at court, culminating in a tumbling House of Cards, is a dazzling extravaganza in red, white, and black.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland – a co-production with London’s Royal Ballet – is one of the most ambitious show ever mounted in the history of The National Ballet of Canada. Brian D. Johnson in Maclean’s wrote, “Going beyond ballet, Alice is an exhilarating spectacle that combines the “wow” factor of a hit Broadway show with stagecraft wizardry that would be the envy of Robert Lepage.” The New York Times called the ballet “… a brilliantly theatrical, superbly designed extravaganza of color and costume, madcap action and fluent dance.”

 

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND (2011)
CHOREOGRAPHY Christopher Wheeldon

ORIGINAL MUSIC Joby Talbot

SCENARIO Nicholas Wright

SET, COSTUME and PROPERTIES DESIGN Bob Crowley

LIGHTING DESIGN Natasha Katz

PROJECTION DESIGN Jon Driscoll, Gemma Carrington

SOUND DESIGN Autograph

DURATION 2 hours 45 minutes, with two intermissions

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA and CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON
 

Established by Celia Franca in 1951, and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Karen Kain, The National Ballet of Canada presents a full range of repertoire by the world’s most celebrated 20th and 21st century masters. The company has performed for over 10 million people worldwide. British dancemaker Christopher Wheeldon’s unique synthesis of neo-classical and modern dance vocabularies has established him as one of the most important – and sought-after – choreographic artists at work today.

SPONSORS

This presentation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by The National Ballet of Canada at the National Arts Centre is made possible with support from Jerry and Joan Lozinski and The Honourable Margaret McCain, C.C. NAC Dance would also like to thank Hotel Partner, the Lord Elgin Hotel, and Media Partner, The Ottawa Citizen.

 

TICKETS AND PERFORMANCES

The National Ballet of Canada performs Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Thursday April 9 at 8 p.m., Friday April 10 at 8 p.m, Saturday April 11 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday April 12 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, $56, $73, $105, and $125 for adults and $25, $30, $38.50, $54.50, and $64.50 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card).

Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices; to reserve your seats, call

613 947-7000 x634, or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

Tickets are available for purchase:

in person at the NAC Box Office
at all Ticketmaster outlets *
by telephone from Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS)
online through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC’s website (http://www.nac-cna.ca) *
 

* A service charge applies on all purchases made through Ticketmaster.