By Jennifer Lunz and Weston Gleffe
Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet concludes its amazing 69th season with two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s enchanting and family-friendly Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Set to Joby Talbot’s hallucinatory sound world of sweeping melodies and ticking clocks, the production features vibrant stagecraft and puppetry by Tony Award®-winning designer Bob Crowley, transforming Lewis Carroll’s classic tale with a modern twist.
Joffrey has recently been producing and showcasing immersive and creative adaptations of classics such as The Little Mermaid, Frankenstein, Anna Karenina, and much more. Besides these wonderful examples, Alice in Wonderland is definitely one of the most entertaining and immersive productions I have seen recently. It combines the class and beloved children’s book by Lewis Carrol with immersive imagery, dance (Christopher Wheeldon), special effects, costumes, set design/puppetry (Tony Award®-winning designer Bob Crowley), and music (Joby Talbot and Lyric Opera Orchestra).
Set to Joby Talbot’s hallucinatory sound world of sweeping melodies and ticking clocks, the production features vibrant stagecraft and puppetry, transforming Lewis Carroll’s classic tale with a modern twist. Alice in Wonderland’s world premiere was on February 28, 2011 at the Royal Opera House in London, England, performed by The Royal Ballet. It has captured the minds and hearts of fans ever since, and when experiencing Joffrey’s version, one can understand why. You are taken into an imaginary world of whimsy and the strange, all within Alice’s own mind palace and adventures in Wonderland. You feel a sense of departure from Alice’s normal life, and as an audience member, you delve deep into the surreal and unfamiliar depths of her mind.
Alice in Wonderland is definitely one of the most innovative and creative set designs yet for the Joffrey Ballet, with the use of special effects and inventive use of props to portray memorable characters that really embodies their anima or character persona. The energetic White Rabbit (Zacharcy Manske) and the menacing yet hilarious Red Queen (Anais Bueno) are examples of these that stand out above the rest. As I already mentioned, the puppetry was top notch with all of the dancers that it took to put together the individual parts of the Cheshire Cat. The special effects are out of this world with creative elements used to portray Alice growing and shrinking, which contributes a sort of psychedelic feel. It is enjoyable to brainstorm comparisons and dynamic characters of her real life and the make-believe world, which are reflected in her imagination.
Other notable and modernized factors that contribute to Alice in Wonderland include a lot of humor tucked into the story, incorporating unique dances such as tap versus traditional ballet (go Mad Hatter!), and Joby Talbot’s phenomenal musical score, which emphasizes the dramatic elements of each scene. The only downside I can determine is that certain scenes are a bit long and too drawn out. However, considering the production as a whole, it is one of the best Joffrey experiences I have ever had. Do not miss Alice in Wonderland!
Photos: Credits mentioned in captions.
To purchase tickets, visit the Joffrey Ballet website.
The Joffrey Ballet 2024-25
Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago
June 5 to June 22, 2025
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