The clock is ticking. So I won't hold you up for too long. Wonder what Lewis Carroll would think of this quirky, neon-laced, seamy urban British head spin of his classic story which sees American student Alice running through the London underpass to be hit by a cabbie when she reaches the surface. There she wakes up with no memory and finds herself interacting with strange and threatening underworld figures as she constantly pops pills in trying to figure out who she is and what she is all about. Jayson Rothwell ambitiously reinvented the material, like it was some jaded drug-trip with eccentric characters, brazen ideas and a wicked sense of humour while Simon Fellows' lean, over-stylised direction complements its distinctive look and keeps it on the move. It might seem aimless, but there's a purpose for the nocturnal journey ("We all meet in circles") and the twisted reinterpretations (the tea party is changed to a brothel) give it a fresh, if daring view. The performances are spot on. Maggie Grace is reputable as the naïve Alice and Danny Dyer is lively as Whitey the cabbie (the white rabbit). Nathaniel Parker is highly amusing in the villain role. The support features the likes of Matt King, Gary Beadle (cool as ever) and Bronagh Gallagher. Innovatively fragmented, but entrancing fantasy drama.
"Get ready for land that time forgot."