Alice, James Kenworth

Alice in Canning Town

All the favourite characters are still there, but in new, modern guises. A cockney rabbit, a rave-mad Mad Hatter, a hookah-smoking ex-Bollywood actor, Tweedledee and Tweedledum as hipsters, and a would-be grime artist called MC Turtle.

Alice in Canning Town is a kaleidoscopic journey through an East End that survived Hitler’s blitz and reinvented itself as a leading light in multicultural Britain. Reconfigured specially for the East End, and performed site-responsively in Canning Town’s Arc in the Park, an inclusive adventure playground in Canning Town, it’s the fourth in a quadrilogy written by James Kenworth that explores the borough’s rich heritage and shows off the talent of its young people.

“A pervading sense of nonsense justifies any arbitrary plot-dictating elements. After all, we left reality at the gate. The play allows its young cast to shine – each character has their moment. Particular favourites include MC Turtle’s heart-wrenching struggles to become a grime star (rapping nonsensically about mice in warehouses) and Georgia Wall’s uncanny hipster version of a Tweedle, named Pandora (whose frightened run is delightfully comical). Kenworth’s script draws laughter and warm smiles from the notably diverse, promenading audience. It’s true, Canning Town is a melting pot of multiculturalism, and this is fun for the whole family.”

Daniel McLeod, The Upcoming