Earlier this month I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris, while in town for a wedding. I had planned to write a spotlight on the park, the incredibly graceful castle, the impeccable landscaping, their unique takes on classic attractions.
But then I saw Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland, and now it's all I can think about.
I will preface this by saying that I generally really like the Disney stage shows -- Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, Beauty and the Beast, Mickey's Magical Map, I'm down for all of them! They're fun, they have cute music, and it doesn't hurt that they're a good place to sit down for half an hour. I wouldn't always necessarily go out of my way to see one. This show? I have actually entertained thoughts about flying my entire family back across the Atlantic Ocean just so we can all see it together. Alice & the Queen of Hearts, or Alice et la Reine de Coeur: Retour au Pays des Merveilles is absolutely and positively unhinged, in the best possible way. It's fun and exciting and full of spectacle, incredible costumes, and live performance, and it feels so very, very French.
Repurposing the former home of the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show, Alice opened in May 2024, and has an enormous space to work with. At over 200 feet wide and 85 feet deep, the entire stage is covered in themed graffiti, (spot all the characters from the Tulgey Wood, and those poor little oysters!) enormous screens, and botanical sculpture, and filled with ramps, platforms, and scaffolding. The stadium seating itself can accommodate 2800 guests (compare that to 1500 for the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios!) and on my visit it filled to near capacity on a random Thursday afternoon.
Before the show starts, the Cheshire Cat makes an appearance. Several appearances, actually, alternating between French and English, as they counted down to the start of the show. Here's a sample of how C-Cat got the crowd warmed up:
Like, what are you even supposed to do with that except get hyped for whatever this show was shaping up to be??
After the final countdown, the show kicks off, starting with some very bouncy spectacle from some of Wonderland's smallest residents. The mome raths make their entrance to the stage, and proceed to trampoline all over it. Leaps and flips, jumping off of walls and bouncing back up to the top again, these li'l guys are way more athletic than they appeared in the 1951 animated feature! The other residents start to appear, and the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, and March Hare run up through the stands to build the hype.
Eventually things get down to business, and the Mad Hatter himself gets things rolling by welcoming the crowd and inviting us all to, what else?, a tea party! Hatter gets the first of several original songs for the show; also note that these are live performances. Six singers and four musicians perform on top of the orchestral tracks.
I would also like to draw attention to the Hatter's costume; the first of many incredible outfits. Just look at this guy, from the posture to the mix-and-match patterns to the luxurious wig to (obviously) the hat, the completely perfect hat, this Hatter is here to party.
Eventually the gang gets around to summoning our heroine, Alice! Emerging in a cloud of smoke, this pop-punk princess version of the classic character is welcomed by a troupe of corseted daisies (because why not, a constant refrain with this show), and immediately begins flouncing around the stage -- all the better to show off her floofy skirts.
Everything seems to be going well, until -- whuh oh! The Mad Hatter accidentally invited the Queen of Hearts to the same tea party as Alice! Arriving in a motorized, winged, steampunk chariot (why not), the Queen is flanked by drumming Card Guards (diamonds and hearts), who also march down the stairs and through the audience as they enter. A second troupe of Card Guards (clubs and spades), this time BMX bikers, starts racing around the arena, launching themselves up and over the ramps that are scattered a cross the stage. Not to be outdone by Alice, the Queen is coiffed and crowned, and gowned in shades of red and shattered mirror:
Neither can let the faux pas of being invited to the same party stand, and each demands the other leave. They finally come to an agreement that they'll have a competition -- the one whose music makes the loudest tea will be allowed to stay. And so the Battle of the Wonderland Bands commences!
Alice goes first; her crew consists of Tweedledee and Tweedledum on guitar and keytar (why not), the mome raths leaping into the air on the trampolines, and some whirling garden flowers dancing on the ground level. Card Guard bikers weave through the gang, trying to disrupt Alice's jam!
She gets into a poppy version of "All in the Golden Afternoon," while most of the cast dances backup and the Queen rests on her throne. Alice starts up the audience participation, and gets the crowd to sing along:
Before we move on, take a look at some more of these costumes! The metallic bubbled topknot on the Caterpillar is brilliant, and the White Rabbit's fitted jacket and wire-ear headpiece look like she's ready for a fancy dress party. I love how the Queen's boots reference her animated counterpart's skirts! Honestly I think the poor March Hare is the only one who didn't get the full glam treatment, but I guess at least he has some cargo pockets to fit an extra slice of toast for later.
Now, however, it's the Queen's turn. She's definitely not going to be shown up by Alice and her bubblegum ways; the Queen of Hearts blasts out with her original rock number, singing into her flamingo croquet mallet as a microphone! The BMXing Card Guards really take off, and it gets so hot flames start spouting from the rooftops (say it with me: because why not)! Keep an eye out for the dancing Dormouse in one of the screens to the right.
So who wins? The Mad Hatter is, understandably, unable to make a decision, so they throw the vote to the audience. Who has the music that makes the loudest tea??
Unfortunately for Alice, it seems she didn't really understand the assignment -- when it comes to volume, she doesn't have a chance against the pulse-pounding flame-spitting rock of the Queen of Hearts! The crowd cheers for the Queen, and Alice doesn't get to be the guest of honor after all!
This is partly why I'd love to see this again! I wonder if there's another competition for, say, which music makes the....gentlest? tea, and Alice gets to reign supreme. For now, the Queen takes a victory lap, and I'm just going to leave this two-minute clip to give you a full sense of how big and crazy and awesome this show gets:
According to the Disneyland Paris schedule, this show only runs through this weekend -- September 29, 2024. I can only hope that it's only closing for the season, since it's an outdoor show, and will return again in the spring. Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland is far too magical, huge, weird, and wonderful to be done with it already. I at least want it to stick around long enough for the stateside parks to take notice and maybe learn a few things! Let's let our stage shows get a little more unhinged, a little more crazy, and have a lot more fun!
