Children's musical.
A musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's popular story, this version portrays Alice as a more timorous and hesitant child than the precocious English character typically presented. In this respect, the casting of pop singer Patsy Ann Noble in the lead role saw her develop a 'nicer' and more warming persona than Alice's traditional bossy and confident nature. The Sydney Morning Herald's theatre critic, R. C., wrote of the production that 'The sets, turning over like the pages of a book, have the modest neatness characteristic of the production as a whole; and any child old enough to enjoy the chime and sparkle of Carroll's mad logic and impudent fantasy is likely to be grateful for the chance of experiencing it in a theatre' (26 December 1961, p.7).
1961: Phillip Theatre, Sydney, 23 December 1961 - 29 January 1962. Producer William Orr.
Cast incl. Patsy Ann Noble (Alice), Grant Taylor (Queen of Hearts/Humpty Dumpty), Jim Hannan (Duchess)/Walrus), Kevan Johnston (King of Hearts/Carpenter), Judi Farr (March Hare), John Ewart (White Rabbit), Alan Dearth (Cook), John Unicomb (Mad Hatter/Lewis Carroll).
The production was staged concurrently with the Phillip Theatre revue Yes Please.