Frenetic Family-Friendly Fun!

Best bit: When Ali falls down the digital rabbit hole. I was transfixed by the trippy video displays.

Any boring bits? The happy ending. Saw it coming a mile off.

Who would like it? Young teenagers, old teenagers, inbetweenagers.

Who wouldn't like it? Anyone expecting revolutionary theatre.

Morning after effect: Have caught myself speaking in rhyme once or twice.

Verdict: 3.7 out of 5 stars

In sharp contrast to the grey weather of a forthcoming London Winter, Wonder.land burst from the stage with a sparkling energy and verve that made my commute to the theatre pale in comparison. Lewis Carroll's beloved tale Alice In Wonderland is one we all know well, yet is given new life by this transformation into a modern parable about the perils of teendom and living a life online. Transferring from the 2015 Manchester International Festival, the production feels right at home at the National Theatre, a large space that lends an air of intensity to the action.

A feast for the eyes from the outset, this highly stylized coming-of-age adventure focuses on pint-sized heroine Alice Hatton, Ali for short, and her journey of self-acceptance. Facing turmoil at home, mean girls at her new school and cyberbullies on her friendship wall, Ali turns to the neon-laced escape of Wonder.land, an online game where rules are non-existent and you can create your own avatar and be whoever you want to be. Familiar characters are given 21st century upgrades, often with hilarious results (Ali's ragtag group of online friends include a beefcake Dodo and a giant Mouse that looks like something a four year old scribbled on a wall).

The score by Blur's Damon Albarn is less Parklife and more tribute to musical theatre, with rhythmic passages that accentuate movement like those of a Tom and Jerry cartoon - in this topsy-turvy world, it works perfectly. His melodies reach sublime heights, most often in the tender duets between Ali and her Mother, and Ali and her long-legged, blue-eyed avatar. Albarn's knack for theatricality and poetry shines in the vocal performances of Hal Fowler’s devilishly fabulous Cheshire Cat and Anna Francolini's antagonist Miss Manxome. The former binds the story together like a narrator on LSD, while the latter is the perfect villainess, a rampaging Queen of Hearts turned articulate secondary school principal with a keen eye for hidden mobile phones.

Aimed at families, teenagers and adults who are still down with the kids, Wonder.land can be a little too syrupy at times but its allegory will surely strike a chord with the intended audience. Its well-trodden tropes are forgiven in lieu of the mind-boggling digital displays - I did find myself giggling with glee at the bonkers spectacle of it all. All in all a sugary sweet and imaginative confection that sated my musical theatre sweet tooth.

REVIEWED BY TEIA FREGONA

Tuesday 1st October 2015
National Theatre, London
Find me on Twitter: @_londontheatre_

View our show pages for more information about Wonder.land, National Theatre, Olivier.