Alice's adventures in Wonderland

When it premiered last year, Christopher Wheeldon's 'Alice' was the first new full-length ballet to be commissioned by the Royal Ballet for 16 years, and the first with a new score (by Joby Talbot) for 20 years. So it's safe to say it was a big deal. The result is visually stunning, thanks to designer Bob Crowley's OTT imagination and there's lots to recommend: the lovely Lauren Cuthbertson perfectly cast as curious Alice, a larger than life Zenaida Yanovsky stealing the show as a cruelly comedic Queen of Hearts and Kristen McNally's cleaver-clutching cook, to name but three. But the episodic nature of of the book makes creating a full-length arc nigh-on impossible and the show is full of frenetic scene changing and busy stage business and not so much actual dancing. Bowling headlong into family entertainment is a bold move for Wheeldon, who's best known for his tasteful, abstract neo-classicism, and while there are some witty ballet-insider spoofs and quotes, it's a little disappointing not to see Wheeldon's choreographic voice come through more clearly. Guess he had plenty of other things to think about. Very enjoyable nonethess, and worth a visit for the costumes alone.