Customer Reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought for sure the BBC would get Alice in Wonderland right and to some degree they have. The actors all do their parts very well and overall this CD is enjoyable. It will be maddening though to Alice fans who expect the script to follow the book. I don't understand why it was thought necessary to change the plot line almost at whim and then insert "The Walrus and the Carpenter" (from Through the Looking Glass). What's wrong with the way Carroll wrote the book? His logic is far superior to this adaption. I felt frustrated throughout when incidents or characters were skipped, but then turned up later in the story. Surely the BBC could have done better with one of Great Britain's classics!

Here is another excellent full-cast dramatization from the BBC; with an emphasis on the wacky, surreal aspects of Lewis Carroll's fantasy classic "Alice In Wonderland." The sound effects are used to great advantage here; especially whenever Alice (excellently portrayed by Sarah-Jane Holm) eats or drinks anything and changes size; from small to tall and back again. This adaptation even has bottles, cupboards, and food talking back to Alice!
This BBC dramatization is likely to leave the listener feeling slightly disoriented; which is precisely how Alice felt in Wonderland. The cast, led by Sarah-Jane Holm, is superb; especially The Caterpiller, The Queen Of Hearts, and The Mad Hatter. As portrayed here, the celebrated Mad Tea Party with Alice, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse almost goes over the edge into total insanity.

The BBC Radio Children's Classics are excellent audio dramatizations of great classics suitable for family listening. The actors are top-notch as are the music and sound effects.

The previous reviewer criticized this adaptation for not following Lewis Carroll's original; it's been so many years since I read the original (probably over 30 years) that if there were any changes in the sequence of events I didn't catch it. I will suggest, however, that Lewis Carroll's original be read before listening to this. There are so many whimsical and strange things taking place one after the other, and Wonderland is such a place of pandemonium (captured perfectly in this recording) that someone listening who isn't familiar with the original would probably be quite confused as to what is going on.

I highly recommend this for children, families, or anyone who simply enjoys excellent audio dramatization.