The work is based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 well-known children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Wheeldon was attracted by the physicality of the characters and the perfect central role for a ballerina: "The Royal Ballet already has a wealth of full-blooded ballets. I wanted to create something lighter and more friendly." He chose Lauren Cuthbertson for the lead role of Alice as someone who could "captivate the audience and make them believe in Alice." As for the music, Talbot explained that he "wanted to find a new sound, the right timbre for Wonderland." His orchestral score has a large percussion section and four female voices. Karen Kain, the artistic director of National Ballet of Canada contacted the Royal Ballet and proposed a co-production after learning about the ballet. The company had the production's North American premiere in 2011, starring Jillian Vanstone. By 2012, Wheeldon had changed the structure of the ballet so that it consisted of three acts instead of the original two and had inserted an additional pas de deux for Alice and the knave. The ballet had since been performed by Royal Swedish Ballet in 2016, Royal Danish Ballet in the 2016-17 season and The Australian Ballet in 2017.
Characters
Oxford Characters: Alice: the original protagonist in Lewis Carroll's novel, in which she is a child; in the ballet she is a teenager beginning her first romance. Henry Liddell and his wife: Alice's parents; her father is the vice-chancellor of Oxford. Lewis Carroll: the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lorina and Edith: Alice's two sisters. Jack: the gardener's boy who is sent away after being falsely accused of stealing a jam tart. Wonderland Characters The Queen of Hearts: a homicidal monarch wearing blood red and terrorizing everyone in sight. Played by the same dancer who plays Alice's mother. The King of Hearts: Played by the same dancer who plays Alice's father. White Rabbit: the Queen's assistant, frightened of his employer. Portrayed by the same dancer who plays Lewis Carroll. Knave of Hearts: one of a pack of playing cards, he is accused of stealing jam tarts and stands trial. Played by the same dancer who plays Jack. The Duchess: a lady of Wonderland who is invited to play croquet with the Queen. The Frog: butler to the Duchess. The Fish: letter-carrier of Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat: a mysterious grinning cat whom Alice asks for directions. Mad Hatter, March Hare & Dormouse: three characters whom Alice encounters having a tea party. Caterpillar: an exotic insect who gives Alice a piece of hallucinogenic mushroom to eat.
Reviews of premiere
The premiere was well received by the audience although some reviewers commented on an excessively long first act. Wheeldon's choreography sometimes had to fight for attention, given all the special staging effects. Joby Talbot's exuberant score was credited with providing sophisticated, danceable music with vividly descriptive melodies. Lauren Cuthbertson's performance was said to be "alert, funny and deliciously un-twee". Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Sarah Crompton commented: "Wheeldon’s Alice will undoubtedly be hugely popular; it’s colourful, enjoyable fun. But it needed a little more dance and a little less action to take its place alongside those English story ballets the choreographer himself so admires.".
