Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Blue Raincoat company's highly individual style, with its emphasis on physical movement and interpretation, gets an uninhibited outing in its new production, an adaptation by Jocelyn Clarke of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

It is bracketed with brief, elegiac meditations by the original author Lewis Carroll, pseudonym of the Rev Charles Dodgson, but this version is essentially a stage reproduction of extracts from the book - but with a difference.

That difference has largely to do with a kind of middle ground carved out by director Niall Henry, in which the plot is made to serve the talents of his actors as much as they are required to build a story. They are not stuffed into literal costumes - rabbit, mouse, whatever - but achieve their effects through a telling mix of mime and vocal variations.

The production is, in fact, rather dull to the eye; the costumes are a collage of shades of grey, and only Alice is permitted a mild contrast in blue stripes. The set design by Michael Cummins provides for a bare stage surrounded with black drapes with large white rectangles. Two giant red chairs, plus a couple of ladders, are the only props.

What might have been a turgid staging is brightened by a constant sprinkling of felicitous moments topped by some highlights. John Carty's Cheshire Cat is a joy, Ciaran MacCaulay's White Rabbit has character and David Heap's Mock Turtle is a true cameo. Liz Bracken and Sandra O'Malley are also fine in their several roles. Fiona McGeown is a somewhat nubile Alice, but she achieves the required illusion with her physical grace, mobile features and a good voice.

With fine acting, creative direction and the touchstone of a familiar, well-loved story, this 90-minutes production flies a high flag.