11-year-old Alice lives in the not terribly exciting town of Grimthorpe. On a boring Wednesday in the summer holidays Alice’s family, wandering around town, gets caught in a downpour. They rush into the nearest shelter, which turns out to be a pet shop: much to Alice’s parents’ delight. Alice is lost in a daydream of exotic holidays… Suddenly she is jolted out of her reverie by one of the animals, a white rabbit, which starts talking to her…
Opera Holland Park’s production of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, a family opera by composer Will Todd and librettist Maggie Gottlieb, comes to CD for the first time after two critically praised runs in 2013 and 2014.
“Like most judicious entertainment for children, Todd's opera is nimble on its feet (69 minutes) and relying on quick changes of mood, colour and content to stop young minds from wandering…Every number is different, ranging from soprano coloratura fireworks for a singing bottle…to – by far the best – the Caterpillar's Wonderland Blues, which Keel Watson turns into a showpiece cameo.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2015
“The label “opera” gives the wrong impression. Although it is sung the whole way through, the score’s idioms range from bluesy jazz and big band swing to West End musical…Fflur Wyn makes a delightfully pert Alice, and the rest of the cast presents vivid characterisations of the familiar caricatures.” The Telegraph, 5th July 2015
“Skilfully and more or less seamlessly he blends Broadway ballad…, jazz and blues into an opera that has all the good things about the form with none of the vocal pomposity that children find ridiculous. On record, all the words are crystal clear. The wordplay is tart and taut…and vibrantly delivered by the cast.” The Times, 3rd July 2015