Cirque Alice demands that you look up, lean forward, and gasp in shock at the sheer audacity of the performers. From the moment a lone violin echoes out, the show starts at a pace of 10 and only gets quicker! Opening night felt like being dropped headfirst into a story you already know, then discovering it has learned how to fly, flip, balance, and spin faster than your eyes can keep up.
Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Cirque Alice continues a long tradition of reimagining the classic through spectacle and movement. While Carroll’s story has been adapted countless times across stage, screen, and circus, this production places physical storytelling at its core.
Produced by Tim Lawson with Simon Painter as Creative Producer, and directed by Ash Jacks McCready and Kirsty Painter, Cirque Alice blends contemporary circus, live music, and dance into a large-scale theatrical event designed for modern audiences.
The narrative loosely follows Alice as she falls down the rabbit hole and encounters Wonderland’s familiar inhabitants. The White Rabbit guides her journey, the Mad Hatter disrupts it, and the Queen of Hearts threatens it. The story functions as a framework rather than a focus, allowing each act to explore Wonderland through movement, music, and visual metaphor.
This is a vast production that fills the Coliseum Theatre with motion from floor to ceiling. The pacing rarely lets up, and the variety of acts keeps the audience alert. If there is a central pleasure here, it is watching artists perform at the absolute limits of balance, strength, and control.
The show opens with Darius Thompson as the White Rabbit, delivering an electrifying live violin sequence while Layla Schillert’s Alice descends from above, her dress billowing across the stage. Schillert commands attention with operatic vocals, poise, and a calm authority that anchors the chaos of Wonderland.
The Tweedles, played by Tamrat Kuka and Tomas Teka Alemu of the TT Boys, deliver some of the night’s most astonishing acrobatics. Their precision and trust are breathtaking. Paul Dabek’s Mad Hatter is a comedian disguised as a magician, landing jokes with ease while still serving the show’s visual rhythm.
The Contortion Quartet, Enkhzaya Battogoo, Baigalmaa Chuluun, Doljinsuren Ganbold, and Dolgorsuren Ganbold, mesmerise as Caterpillars, their bodies folding and unfolding with eerie beauty.
Viktor Hladchenko’s March Hare rolls across the stage inside a human-sized hoop. Estuart Mena Gonzales climbs a ladder of his own making as the Dormouse.
Act One builds toward the Queen through the Ramadhani Brothers, Fadhili Rashidi and Ibrahim Mwaimise, whose head-to-head acrobatics generate real tension. Munguntsatsrag Naranbaatar’s Queen of Hearts follows, displaying extraordinary balance and control.
Highlights continue with Brandon Raffo as Wonderland’s Juggler, the roller-skating brilliance of Daniel Monni and Marina Sabetta as the White King and Queen, and the Flamingos, Emeline Goavec and Yoann Benhamou, whose aerial pas de deux is quietly stunning.
Behind the scenes, Dane Bates’ choreography keeps the show flowing. Martin Raabe-Olsen and Marius Christiansen’s music arrangements give the production its pulse. Angela Aaron’s costumes are bold and imaginative, enhanced by Israel Leslie’s audio design and Hugo Mercier and Sarah Cleverley’s lighting that makes you feel like you are under a circus tent.
Cirque Alice is a feast for the senses. It prioritises wonder, skill, and scale. This is theatre as spectacle, executed with extraordinary talent and care. If you are looking to be impressed, surprised, and lifted out of your seat, Cirque Alice delivers. It’s a dazzling journey through Wonderland that reminds us why live performance still feels like magic.
Cirque Alice runs in Sydney from 24 December – 4 January at the Coliseum Theatre. 33 Railway Street Rooty Hill NSW 2766.
It then runs in Adelaide and Canberra. See dates below.
Tickets: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=ALICIRQU25
Website: https://cirquealice.com/ and https://coliseumtheatre.com.au/whats-on/cirquealice/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/cirquealice/
Images supplied.
2026 Australian Tour Dates:
Sydney 24 December – 4 January, Coliseum Theatre
Adelaide 8 – 18 January, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Canberra 22 – 31 January, Canberra Theatre Centre
