Alice: A New Musical continues at the St James Studio, London until 21 March. Picture: Darren Bell
Alice: A New Musical continues at the St James Studio, London until 21 March.
Star rating: 3 stars ★ ★ ★
Alice: A New Musical is intriguing, especially when billed as a lunchtime musical lasting just 45 minutes. Perfect for those wishing to utilise their precious lunch hour on a busy working day. The St James Studio is well suited to cabaret, but has been home to small-scale musicals including Sondheim’s two-hander Marry Me a Little, and currently the Jerry Herman musical revue Jerry’s Girls.
Jointly produced by Paul Harnett and Oliver Taheri who both have strong associations with the St James, a lunchtime musical is a compelling proposition. Harnett, who directs, has also written the libretto with Rebecca Crookshank (music and lyrics by Daniel Williams and Jay Reynolds).
This is an Alice for the 21st Century – contemporary, a bit dangerous, with dark humour as well as fun. Cast members provide strong characterisations, particularly when playing more than one role.
Ceris Hine is hilarious as a moody French Mouse and Jamie Coleman is suitably anarchic as a hippie, dope-smoking Caterpillar and then a hapless Red Queen Guard. Hannah Toy is a beautiful Alice, onstage throughout, a modern teenager in a fashionista blue denim dress that is edgy rather than sweet. Her strong dance credentials are evident and she has a pure toned soft singing voice.
Dougie Carter as Mad Hatter seizes his moment, Daniel Hope is an engaging flustered White Rabbit, and Damian Robinson a pompous Dodo (and Hare). Mateo Oxley has perhaps modelled his Cheshire Cat on Johnny Depp, but if it works it works.
However, it is Kerry Enright as the Queen of Hearts who steals the show. An immensely powerful presence even when smiling ‘sweetly’, she is frankly terrifying at close quarters when angry, everyone in the audience nervously ‘laughing’, hoping she will not at any moment reach out and chop off our own heads in a heartbeat! Her powerhouse diva solo ‘I’ll Take Your Head’ frankly lifts the roof off the Studio. It’s worth the ticket price just to hear her solo.
With regard to production values, for such a small show the costumes are wonderful and one of the main highlights of the show. So much detail, created and made by no less than three different people – designed by Katherine Connelly, made by Lizzie Furniss, with rather splendid and wonderful hats designed by Jennifer Rowley. Make-up and hair are also impressive, which makes the complete lack of any kind of set even more noticeable and frankly baffling. Lighting alone is not enough.
The crumpled white fabric backcloth used for projections as Alice ‘transitions’ in place and size could have been better and looks in its current form a bit cheap, especially when projections are not being used. It doesn’t match the wonderful attention and detail in cast performances, costumes, hair and make-up, and could have created something quite special.
It’s an interesting take on Alice, more a play with music rather than ‘a new musical’. The few songs in the show, though quite pleasant, are not particularly memorable. None of the titles are detailed in the rather beautifully photographed programme, which is a significant omission, but clearly Daniel Williams and Jay Reynolds (with their successful pop pedigree) are talented and have much to offer. There is an energy and buzz about their music and it would be interesting to hear them discover their ‘music theatre voice’.
Overall Alice: A New Musical triumphs and is definitely worth £10 and 45 minutes of anyone’s time. It’s a fine way to spend a lunch hour (there is some fun choreography from Sean Parkins), although best not to have an afternoon snooze or you might have a nightmare dream where the Queen of Hearts chops off your head – she really IS terrifying!
Catherine Françoise
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