Reimagining Alice in Wonderland

Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini talk about their new musical Wonder.land, which premiered at the Manchester International Festival this month.

“These entities – the cat, the caterpillar, the white rabbit – they have meaning outside, and beyond, Lewis Carroll’s book,” says Moira Buffini, the writer behind new musical Wonder.land. It’s a testament to just how enduring and universal Alice in Wonderland is even today, 150 years after the tale was first published.

Wonder.land, which premiered at the Manchester International Festival, is the latest example. Retelling the tale with two Alices – Ali, a real-world girl, and the iconic Alice, Ali’s digital avatar that comes to life – the production features music composed by Damon Albarn, lead vocalist for the rock band Blur. It heads to the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre in November.

Buffini and Albarn talk about the modern meaning of the rabbit hole, Alice’s enduring popularity – and how this reinvention of the beloved character will hardly be the last.

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