Review: Alice's Adventures Underground (Vaults)

Les Enfants Terribles first brought their immersive version of Lewis Carroll's novel to the Vaults in 2015, showcasing what they do best: bizarre story-telling sprinkled with impressive acrobatics and unnerving puppetry. This time round, Anthony Spargo's script is slightly longer, but its eccentric feeling remains all the same.

As the show begins, our group of about 30 people is halved as we make a choice that will determine our path for the evening: drink the punch, or eat the sweets. These two groups are forced to half again, a decision which is this time out of our hands. I didn't mind about the idea of each group being told a slightly different story, because it means I could return and have a completely different experience. What did bother me was that the second choice is involuntary. Couples who have chosen the show as their date night adventure are torn apart, only experiencing the show together over post-show drinks. I found the experience was, at times, a bit of an awkward encounter with strangers.

Each group is led through the tunnels from room to room -every space features a moment from Carroll's story from the Cheshire Cat to the Mock Turtle – but there are certain points when queuing to enter a scene takes a little too long. It pulls you out of the narrative, which isn't that strong to begin with. By the end, you don't really care about what happens to Alice at all.

Our small faction of about eight people heads through Samuel Wyer's set complete with a Room of Doors and Dormouse's forest. Squidgy floors and furry walls in dark rooms add to the hallucinogenic feeling of the piece. We tumble through to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party (complete with very strong cocktails) where we are reunited with the wider group. It is quite simply mad. There's only three actors in this scene but in such a vast space it can be difficult to engage so many people. Their lunacy helps them along, but there is only so much nonsense one can take and eventually it makes the narrative feel drawn out.

It has all the trademarks of Les Enfants Terribles work. Max Humphries' puppets are Tim Burton-esque puppets, Cheshire Cat's eyes widen in an unsettlingly creepy way. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum's aerial work is dizzying, but their appearance feels somewhat incidental to the piece.

One of the great accomplishments of this show is its video design and projection work. Before we begin, we're assembled in Carroll's writing room littered with mirrors. As you explore, Alice pops up around the room, flitting from mirror to mirror. Each set on this journey brings a new way for video to be used. The Caterpillar's lair becomes a dome of light as a recap of the story is projected all around. There's good use of live video, too, as Alice singles out members of your small audience from within her mirror.

It's a unique theatrical experience, but it is let down on a few counts. While it's visually brilliant, the sound could use some work. Music could enhance the hallucinogenic aesthetic, but when it is used, it completely drowns out the actors' voices. It's also east to get lost in the dialogue. Often that's a good thing, adding to the show's nature, but sometimes its disengaging, watching actors come across all weird just for the sake of it.

It's hard to compare Alice's Adventures Underground with anything else. It's immersive theatre on a scaleyou won't be able to see in London at the moment. If you like the weird and wonderful, then you will enjoy falling down this rabbit hole.

Alice's Adventures Underground runs at the Vaults until 23 September.