“Have I gone mad?” “Im afraid so, you’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are” (Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland”)

I might have gone a bit mad a few days ago, but boy, oh boy it was fun! I fell down the rabbit hole with a lot of other mad people at The Vaults – and what a magical adventure it was! Have you ever been to Wonderland? Well now is your chance! 

(I was not allowed to take pictures during the show, but these images are kindly lent to me by Les Enfants Terribles. What you see here is excactly what I saw!)

“Would you like an adventure now – or should we have our tea first?” I read about Alice´s Adventures Underground on Twitter, while having my tea – and immediately I knew, that this was something I had to experience. See, this is what I love about London! There is always something fun and exciting to do in this city – and since I have never been to The Vaults before or even heard about Les Enfants Terribles, I decided I had to be part of the madness. According to The Telegraph, the theatre group is “one of the most innovative and exciting theatre companies working today!”

To get to The Vaults we decided to take the tube to Westminster and crossed the bridge for some of the best views of London 

Make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes and clothing that might get a bit dirty (remember, you are going to fall down a rabbit hole)

“Wonderlanders” were welcomed with directions showing us which way to go!

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it!” Well, we certainly found it at The Vaults! Welcome to a world full of wonder and mystery!

When you arrive, you need to go to the box office and get your stamp! The stamp was quite cute (just wait and see for yourself) You will get directions about where to go and when you need to be there. Until then have some fun at the bar in wonderful surroundings!

I was ready for new adventures – and a drink!

Even Frenchie wore his Madhatter’s look!

I think someone in the background was trying to get our attention!

And then we were called out… It was time to fall down into the rabbit hole!

After this I wasn’t allowed to take any more pictures… 

To mention just a few we went into a room filled with dusty books, grand chandeliers, an old piano, and a looking glass, of course. A woman suddenly appeared behind the looking glass. We guessed that it was Alice – but she was confused and couldn’t remember her name. 

The white rabbit who was always late…

Moving through a narrow tunnel lined with yellowing book pages our adventures began. We met a lot of strange creatures on our way, and had to decide between ‘eat me’ or ‘drink me’ to determine which path to take. Playing cards split us into for different ‘suits’. Each group was led by a performer throughout, so we were not left wandering by ourselves.

For me one of the most striking things about the show was the costumes and sets, which were all extraordinarily detailed in the style of romantic decay

Here is the splendid Duchess in her peppery kitchen with dangerous Scottish chef in attendance (be careful – they might make a soup out of you)

 The Mock Turtle performed a beautiful, melancholic song… (I even had to shed a tear!)

Meet the Shisha pipe smoking caterpillar !

Off with their heads!

I have already revealed a lot, so I won’t go into further details. But I can honestly say, I was greatly entertained underneath London Waterloo Station! “This is not Disney – this is our slightly decaying Alice”, says the producer Emma Brunjes. She is right! The show was stunning and intriguing  – and it brought the genius of Lewis Carroll’s writing vividly back to life.

Back from the rabbit hole! It was time for a drink and even more entertainment! Apparently there was some sort of speed date game going on! 

I really can’t compare Alice’s Underground Adventures with anything I’ve seen before. It is immersive theatre on a scale you won’t be able to experience anywhere else in London at the moment. But if you are like me -and love the weird and wonderful, I’m sure you will enjoy falling down this rabbit hole. Get your tickets here and go have some fun!

X Louise