Over the past few years we have become used to seeing the theatrical bar raised with each Phoenix Youth Theatre production. From their WW2 production ‘Raid’ (scripted by the company themselves), through the epic ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, to Willy Russell’s contemporary comedy ‘Stags and Hens’ this award-winning company of young people have excelled. With this week’s production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ PYT continue to push at the boundaries of professional theatre.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ is not easy. The storyline does not pursue a natural narrative, but instead, with Alice’s descent down the rabbit hole to Wonderland we follow her through a series of bizarre episodes until she wakes to normality. The curtain opens on a colourful storybook set with a silk-draped garden bench on which sleeps ‘Alice’, (played to perfection by the delightfully bewildered Rosamund Williams). Woken by the White Rabbit her descent down the rabbit hole is the first ‘coup de theatre’. In a shaft of light on the darkened stage amid vapour pouring from above Alice climbs and trapezes high above the stage into the rabbit-hole drapes before safely landing in Wonderland.

Here the young cast, aided by superb costuming, imaginative face-paint and make-up, introduced us to a wonderful array of characters. Another ‘coup de theatre’ – puppetry under ultraviolet lights with the puppeteers concealed behind black gauze enables the Cheshire cat’s disembodied grin to appear and disappear (together with the crocodile, lobster and assorted whimsies) alongside the onstage characters.

There were some memorable performances; Katie Pothecary (a PYT award-winning actress) brought a terrifyingly smiling Queen of Hearts to life. Morgan Harris’s deranged Duchess faultlessly delivering accelerating lines of nonsense; Eben Harris (Frog Footman) and Oscar Morgan (Fish Footman) two 11-year-olds performing an hilarious double act, also stepping in front of curtain to cover the set changes going on behind, I cannot wait to see more of them. Then Mock Turtles, Ollie O’Neill and Hannah Callen entertained us; as well as Knave, Owen Needham-Church assisted by Young Knave, Noah O’Neill.

With 30 young actors in the cast it is impossible to name them all, but their focus and concentration was total and all played their roles with distinction. Director Sarah O’Neill and her fabulous team of artists, costumiers, light and sound technicians, set builders, properties and backstage crew, all must be congratulated. Once again the Phoenix Youth Theatre bar has been raised in pursuit of excellence.

Brian Jackson