One of the most thrilling aspects of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is being able to escape your mundane life for a little while and dive into a fanciful world of parties, games, and, well, drug hallucinations. How else do you think the animals and plants are able to talk?
In the original 1865 version, Alice finds her vibrant and terrifying play-world by shoving herself down a curious rabbit hole, but lying around in lush gardens isn’t really a common occurrence for youths anymore. Thankfully, Damon Albarn (music) and Moira Buffini (book/lyrics) are here to help update the classic children’s tale with a brand-new musical called wonder.land.
The musical, which will premiere next week as part of Manchester’s International Festival, follows the story of Aly—a young girl who uses the Internet as her own personal escape from bullies at school and hardships at home. Through the glitchy and trippy trailer for wonder.land, viewers come face-to-face with the protagonist, who has her face glued to her smartphone screen while a fantastic world of color appears around her.
After a two-week run in Manchester, the production, which features brand-new music by the Blur frontman, will move to London’s National Theatre in November.
(via Pitchfork)
