Bad Hats Theatre’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a love letter to childhood

Parents, do me a favour and pass the newspaper over to your kid.

OK, let’s be real, pass the smartphone. Either way, this review is for the small person at the breakfast table.

Are the big people gone?

For real?

Great. Kids: ask your parents to bring you to see the Bad Hats production of “Alice in Wonderland” at Soulpepper Theatre.

You have lots of questions: what are clocks? What do cats do when we’re not home? How does chess work?

Alice has those questions, too. She’s a little girl with more questions than anyone could hope to answer in a thousand lifetimes. One day at school, Alice has to answer the biggest question of them all: what will she be when she grows up? That’s a tough one — there are so many things to do before then!

And thus starts a daydream the size of the whole world. There are lots of rabbits and tarts and persnickety old birds. And music, so much music, perfectly sung and artfully arranged. This is “Alice” like you’ve never seen her before and so much better.

Kids, this is the thing to see this winter break. Ask the adult in your life to be your date to the theatre. That’ll be so charming they’ll have to say yes.

You can hand the paper back to your grown-up, now. Thanks for reading.

Hi, parents. The Bad Hats Theatre production of “Alice in Wonderland” at Soulpepper is the most fun I’ve had at a theatre in a long time. Sure, it’s created with kids in mind, but the innuendos and double entendres are just sharp enough to hit the parents without confusing the little ones. (Those old birds Alice meets in Wonderland? They’re a clever and very amusing poke at parliamentary politics.) Maybe you saw the digital versions of this show over the pandemic but this one’s worth the trip to the Distillery District.

Fiona Sauder’s text updates “Alice” without shoehorning it into the cyberverse — the production feels firmly rooted in 2022 without making gratuitous references to social media or hot-button adult issues. Ming Wong’s costumes, as stunning as ever, help to achieve that effect. Much of the “Alice” ensemble plays multiple characters, and visual motifs in the costumes help make clear who’s playing what as Alice falls deeper and deeper into Wonderland.

Then there’s the music, co-composed by Victor Pokinko and Landon Doak and brought to life onstage by the ensemble on piano, melodica, percussion and clarinet (with occasional bass, too). Whimsical and inventive, the music propels the narrative forward with style and heart. The lyrics can err towards cheesy — and frustratingly literal — but the sonic balance and complex arrangements more than make up for lyrics that might benefit from another round of workshopping.

At the helm of this raucous, colourful fête of imagination is Sue Miner, whose direction is sublime. The production takes place in Soulpepper’s smaller Michael Young Theatre, configurated with alley-style seating — meaning there’s audience on both sides. Miner’s direction ensures no moments are lost to the other side of the theatre, though the ensemble is in perpetual motion, and the energy level never falters.

And, of course, there’s no “Alice” without an Alice. Tess Benger is a natural fit in the role, asking all the right questions and relishing in their answers — and boy, can she sing and dance. The ensemble around her is terrific, too, particularly Vanessa Sears as Ruby/Red Queen, Matt Pilipiak as Mr. C/White Rabbit and Breton Lalama as Buddy/Owl/Buttercup/Caterpillar. In truth, this is an ensemble with no weak links, and they’re at their best when they’re harmonizing and dancing together.

The set, credited to Bad Hats Theatre, is as inventive as the rest of the show — rolling chairs and tables can take on any number of roles, it turns out — and Logan Cracknell’s sparkling lighting is appropriately colourful and festive.

Some of those pesky lyrics aside, Bad Hats’ “Alice” is one of the most exciting theatre projects to emerge from the pandemic, a love letter to childhood and the questions we never got answered when we were young. This “Alice in Wonderland” is nothing short of a delight — and Bad Hats Theatre puts on a very good show.