Creating Alice s Adventures in Wonderland - The Royal Ballet

Behind the scenes with the creators of The Royal Ballet s modern classic, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Interviews and rehearsal footage featuring: Joby Talbot, Christopher Wheeldon, Bob Crowley, Edward Watson, Sarah Lamb. Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk Christopher Wheeldon s Alice s Adventures in Wonderland arrived on the stage in 2011 with a burst of colour, theatrical magic and inventive choreography. It was The Royal Ballet s first full-length work since 1995 and was instantly acclaimed as a classic. Joby Talbot s score combines sweeping melodies, which gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century, with contemporary effects. Bob Crowley s wildly imaginative sets and costumes draw on puppetry, projections and masks to bring Wonderland to life. Alice encounters a cast of extraordinary characters down the rabbit hole: from the highly-strung Queen of Hearts, who performs a hilarious rendition of the famous Rose Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty; to dancing playing cards; a sinuous caterpillar and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. There is a love narrative for Alice and the Knave of Hearts, and they dance a tender pas de deux at the close of Act II. But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll s story -- a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and an unhinged tea party are all created in vivid detail.