Type – Panto & Circus
If you liked – Christmas Panto, Circus Skills, and a bit of silliness!
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: Acrobatics, antics and absurdity: great fun for kids and parents alike!
Post Christmas, midway through the school holidays, parents everywhere are tearing their hair out for creative ways to entertain the kids through the long hot summer. This production is guaranteed to provide everyone with some excellent respite from screen time.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a thoroughly modern rendition of the classic Alice in Wonderland, presented in a tight hour so the kids don’t get restless. And there’s plenty of action, colour and music, on stage and amongst the audience, to keep everyone laughing and gasping in disbelief.
The show is loosely structured around the plot of Alice, using all the well known and loved characters from the Mad Hatter to the Caterpillar. They are all in character and mingling with the audience as we take our seats, and the kids are wide-eyed from the start. Parents, fear not, the bar is open and provides a great excuse for mums to grab large fruity cocktails to see them through the show!
The colourful wacky sets and costumes by Melanie Liertz are bright, funny and engaging and after a slightly low key start, Mike Finch’s direction picks up the pace and the energy as they start whipping through their many circus skills and acrobatics. The variety keeps even very small kids enthralled, and the classic panto tactics show that old school theatrical tricks never die! While the kids are kept entertained by the skilful slapstick and bright colours, there’s enough adult jokes woven through the show to keep the parents entertained as well. With plenty of audience participation, dancing and flinging of things around the room, there’s never a dull moment!
A dynamic ensemble of artistes bring joyous and mischievous chaos to life on stage with their amazing and sometimes eye-watering acrobatics and aerial work. Tamara Campbell as the Mad Hatter, Daniel Gorski as the March Hare, Casey Douglas as the Caterpillar, Marianna Joslin as the Cheshire Cat, Alicia Rose Quinn (aka Lou P) as the Flamingo and Tim Dennis as the White Rabbit bring plenty of verve and wow, but the star turn belongs to Mozes as the Red Kween. His flair, versatility and aerial skills are stunning.
Is The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Worth Seeing in Sydney?
As many families contemplate ‘opting out’ of devices, or grapple with the social media ban for kids, a show like this is a great way to remind ourselves of the joys of good old fashioned entertainment. The 8 and 10 years olds who I took to the show were singing the songs and practising the tricks they saw for the rest of the day!
Tickets and Practical Info for The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Sydney 🎟️
Presented by Broad Encounters, Little Sparks, and Fever
Tickets: https://madhattershow.com/
The Grand Electric, 199 Cleveland St, Surry Hills
Directed by Mike Finch
Costume and Set Design by Melanie Liertz
