What a brief for a designer; put your own spin on a new interpretation of one of most fantastical of worlds ever created, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland.
This was the treat for set designer Rae Smith and costume designer Katrina Lindsay when bringing wonder.land, the new musical from Blur’s Damon Albarn and Handbagged writer Moira Buffini, to the stage.
But this, as that all important dot might give away, is not your traditional world inhabited by the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter. This is a wonderland for the digital age, an online world for Carroll’s larger than life creations to inhabit.
Wonder.land, directed by the National Theatre’s Director Rufus Norris, follows Aly, who is struggling with all the pressures that come with being a teenage girl. Her discovery of a mysterious online world, wonder.land, gives her the chance to create an entirely new life from scratch, but will she see who she really is?
From caterpillars to playing cards and grey, oppressive cityscapes to lurid, techno landscapes, Smith and Lindsay have shared their designs, along with shots of the realised creation, with Official London Theatre.
Wonder.land is booking at the National Theatre until 30 April. If you can’t wait to go through the looking glass, you can book tickets up to 28 February through us here.