Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (ballet) facts for kids

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a magical ballet. It has three acts and was created by Christopher Wheeldon. The story is based on the famous book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

This ballet was specially asked for by The Royal Ballet in London and the National Ballet of Canada. Its first show was on February 28, 2011. The music for the ballet was written by Joby Talbot. It was the first full-length music score (about 1 hour and 40 minutes) for The Royal Ballet in 20 years! It was also the first new story ballet commissioned by them since 1995.

Creating the Ballet

Why Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

The ballet is based on Lewis Carroll's well-known children's book from 1865. Christopher Wheeldon, the choreographer, loved how active and unique the characters were. He also saw a perfect main role for a ballerina.

Wheeldon wanted to make a ballet that felt "lighter and more friendly." He chose Lauren Cuthbertson to play Alice. He felt she could truly make the audience believe in Alice's journey.

The Music of Wonderland

The composer, Joby Talbot, wanted to create a fresh sound for Wonderland. His music uses a lot of percussion instruments. It also features four female voices, adding to the magical feel.

Working Together

Karen Kain, who leads the National Ballet of Canada, heard about the ballet. She contacted The Royal Ballet to suggest they work on it together. This led to a "co-production." The National Ballet of Canada then had the first North American show in 2011. Jillian Vanstone starred as Alice in that performance.

Changes and Performances

By 2012, Christopher Wheeldon made some changes to the ballet. He changed it from two acts to three acts. He also added a special dance for Alice and the Knave of Hearts.

Since its premiere, other ballet companies have performed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. These include the Royal Swedish Ballet in 2016. The Royal Danish Ballet performed it in 2016-17. The Australian Ballet also put on the show in 2017.

Meet the Characters

In this ballet, some dancers play two different roles. They play one character from the real world (Oxford) and another from Wonderland.

Oxford Characters

• Alice: She is the main character. In the ballet, she is a teenager. She is just starting to experience her first romance.
• Henry Liddell and his wife: These are Alice's parents. Her father is an important person at Oxford University.
• Lewis Carroll: He is the author who wrote the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book.
• Lorina and Edith: These are Alice's two sisters.
• Jack: He is a gardener's boy. He is wrongly accused of stealing a jam tart. Alice actually gave it to him!

Wonderland Characters

• The Queen of Hearts: She is a very bossy ruler who wears bright red. She tries to scare everyone. The same dancer who plays Alice's mother plays the Queen.
• The King of Hearts: The same dancer who plays Alice's father plays the King.
• White Rabbit: He is the Queen's helper and is very scared of her. The dancer who plays Lewis Carroll also plays the White Rabbit.
• Knave of Hearts: He is one of the playing card characters. He is accused of stealing jam tarts and has to go on trial. The same dancer who plays Jack plays the Knave.
• The Duchess: A lady from Wonderland who is invited to play croquet with the Queen.
• The Frog: He is the Duchess's butler.
• The Fish: He delivers letters in Wonderland.
• The Cheshire Cat: A mysterious cat with a big grin. Alice asks him for directions.
• Mad Hatter, March Hare & Dormouse: Alice meets these three characters at a very strange tea party.
• Caterpillar: An unusual insect. He gives Alice a piece of mushroom to eat. This mushroom helps her change size.

Main Performers

Watching the Ballet

The original 2011 performance of the ballet was filmed. A later show from 2017 by The Royal Ballet was also filmed. Both of these recordings are available on DVD. Lauren Cuthbertson stars as Alice in both.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many performances stopped. To help people still enjoy ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet shared a recording of their show online. In this version, Holly Dorger played Alice.