REVIEW: CIRQUE ALICE Pairs Lewis Carroll’s Fantasy World With Circus, Comedy, Magic and Music.

Saturday 26th September 2026, 7pm, Lyric Theatre Sydney

Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s children’s novel, CIRQUE ALICE is Producers Tim Lawson and Simon Painter’s latest circus spectacular to tour to Sydney.  Following on from their earlier works of Circus 1903, Le Noir, and The Illusionists series, this is another artfully curated circus experience. 

CIRQUE ALICE draws on the popularity of the story Lewis Carroll created to entertain Henry Liddell’s three daughters, a story that would go on to form Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, a children’s novel that has not been out of print since it was first published in 1965.  While it incorporates the characters of the story, the plot beyond Alice (Layla Schillert) following a time conscious White Rabbit (Raphael Papo) is never really explored, relying on the audience to already be familiar with the work to provide recognition.   The other worldliness of Wonderland is reinforced through the use of music as Schillert provides beautiful clear soprano vocals of various Arias and Papo plays the violin in classical and contemporary arrangements.  The Mad Hatter, Paul Dabek provides the most audience interaction as host, comedian and magician while the rest of the ensemble take on the other characters of Wonderland but express them through acrobatics and circus acts.  Angela Aaron’s beautiful costume designs ensure that the characters are easily recognisable yet suitable for the artists to express their skills safely.  Frances Story and Iceworks Designs scenic and prop design creates a colourful world and the expression of the Chesire Cat is delightfully cleaver albeit very brief. 

The work is presented on a thrust stage constructed on the Lyric Theatre’s stage, with cabaret style seating flanking the catwalk.  This, paired with the garlands of lights reaching out above the podium to the main auditorium seek to emulate the feeling of a traditional circus tent performance in the traditional theatre space.  Lawson and Painter’s other works have similarly been staged in traditional theatres though it was hard to gauge if this has any significant different to a traditional circus tent experience as the show was reviewed from Row C of the Stalls. 

With a theatre-based circus having had a resurgence over the past decade or so, it is always interesting to see how performers push the boundaries to deliver new and breathtaking acts.  CIRQUE ALICE incorporates classic circus acrobatic acts like Rola Bola, contortion and hand balance, along with a Aerial pole, Cyr Wheel, and Aerial Straps but the performers push the limits so when paired with the costumes and music, make for mesmerising performances.  While many theatre-based circus is pitched at mature audiences, CIRQUE ALICE is a more family friendly work with the most risqué elements coming from Paul Dabek’s Mad Hatter but he delivers it in such a way that is likely to sail over the heads of younger audiences so this is suitable as both school holiday entertainment and an evening out for older audiences.

CIRQUE ALICE is a delightful escape into Wonderland.  The combination of magic and music with circus skills set with well loved characters draws on nostalgia while creating new memories for audiences of all ages.

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Photos: Base Entertainment Asia