- Cirque du Soleil was created 42 years ago and has grown into a global phenomenon.
- It’s coming to Sydney next month with Kooza – but meanwhile, Cirque Alice has arrived at the Lyric Theatre.
- Don’t think it’s simply a copy. It’s original, funny and breathtakingly bold. You’ll be gripping the sides of your seat.
Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland has always been a place where the impossible seems quite reasonable. At the Sydney Lyric, Cirque Alice takes that to new heights.
It’s brilliant, vibrant, funny and full of energy: a night of circus spectacle that gives familiar characters astonishing new things to do.
I’m sitting between two sets of kids – and in between ‘oohs!’ and ‘aahs’, they are having a ball. Mum is videoing every act.
Alice’s journey is the thread connecting an international company of acrobats, aerialists, contortionists, musicians and comedians. The pleasure is less in following every turn of Carroll’s story than in wondering what each character might do next.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, for example, are played by the TT Boys – Ethiopians Tomas Teka Alemu and Tamrat Yemance Ayalew. Their rapid-fire acrobatics turn the quarrelsome pair into a feat of trust and timing.
As the Red and White Knights, the Ramadhani Brothers make balancing look alarmingly effortless. But don’t try this at home!
Australian singer Layla Schillert takes centre stage as Alice, giving the production an operatic voice as it moves from one surprise to another.
Then there is Paul Dabek’s Mad Hatter, taking on a central role of mischief and comedy. He understands that even the most extraordinary physical performance benefits from a laugh and a moment to catch your breath. And the audience participation is both predictably humiliating and hilariously funny. Sorry Brock!
The influence of Cirque du Soleil is unmistakable, – and ironically, Cirque du soleil’s Kooza opens six days after Alice shuts.
The connections run deep. Alice Co-creator Simon Painter sold his company, The Works Entertainment, to Cirque du Soleil in 2019 and went on to create its Las Vegas show Mad Apple.
Dabek and the TT Boys have performed with Cirque du Soleil, too. Cirque Alice is its own production, but it draws on a formidable pool of circus experience.
There is a longer story behind that influence. Founded in 1984, Cirque du Soleil helped remake the circus around human performance, music and theatrical design, without animal acts. Forty-two years later, Cirque Alice shows how well that approach can suit a tale populated by rabbits, caterpillars and other creatures: here, the wonder comes from what people can do.
What makes the evening work is its sense of fun. The skill is immense, but the show wears it lightly. Wonderland gives every act a character and a reason to appear, while the comedy keeps the spectacle from becoming a procession of stunts. Children can enjoy the colour and chaos; adults can marvel at the precision behind it.
Cirque Alice is a great Sydney night out: a lively, generous production that sends you home smiling and asking, more than once, “How did they do that?”
What: Cirque Alice
Where: Sydney Lyric, Pyrmont
When: Until 11 October 2026; approximately two hours, including interval
Tickets: Sydney Lyric – from $69 to $149 for a table on the stage right next to the performers. Transaction fees apply.
