The magic of open air Alice

Anyone dreaming of an ideal setting in which to stage a production of Alice in Wonderland might well think of the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park.

After all, in what other theatre is a white rabbit more likely to appear out of a burrow or a young girl more likely to fall into one?

So it is surprising that Alice, An Adventure in Wonderland, which opens in the Regent's Park auditorium today, is the first production based on the Lewis Carroll stories to be staged there.

"With the trees and flowers all around, the theatre is a wonderland in itself," says Rosalind Paul, whose Alice found herself dangerously, if temporarily, sandwiched between Ben Fox's Five of Hearts and Sharon White's Queen.

This particular version is a joint production by the park's resident New Shakespeare Company and the Unicorn Theatre for Children.

It has been adapted from both Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass by Charles Way who begins and ends his play in the context of a contemporary family.

"It should appeal to people who don't know the stories as well as those who do," says Miss Paul, who should be encouraged by the public enthusiastic response at yesterday's preview. The jam tarts sold particularly well.